Four Life Sentences for Decades of Child Abuse
“As of today, I am free of you,”
victim said at sentencing
victim said at sentencing
Gary Pickron
January 11, 2018
Isaac Estes-Jones
A Reeds Spring man, convicted of decades of child molestation and abuse in November, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Gary Pickron, 74, was sentenced on Tuesday, January 2, to four consecutive life sentences, plus four and seven year sentences by Circuit Judge Jack Goodman.
Pickron sexually abused several young girls since at least 1995, according to Stone County Prosecutor Matt Selby. Two charges were originally filed in early 2015 after two young girls, aged four and five, said Pickron had touched them inappropriately with his hands and mouth. After those initial charges were filed, other victims came forward and disclosed they had also been abused by Pickron while visiting his home in Reeds Spring. All of the victims were reportedly under the age of 8 at the time of the assaults.
During the sentencing hearing last Tuesday, Judge Goodman heard arguments from attorneys, considered the evidence, and heard testimony from Pickron and some of the victims. Pickron, according to documents provided to the court, continued to deny any wrong doing. This testimony did not sway either the jury that found Pickron guilty in November 2017, nor did it affect Judge Goodman at sentencing.
Prosecuting Attorney Selby argued that Pickron had a propensity for these types of crimes and would always be a public safety risk. “The court needs to send a strong message that this type of conduct will not be tolerated,” a press release on Pickron’s sentencing read.
“Gary Pickron should never set foot outside a prison again, and with this sentence he will spend the rest of his life there,” said Selby. “He has injured child after child over more than two decades and some of them are still trying to cope with the consequences of his behavior.”
During the sentencing, one of the victims spoke directly to Pickron. “I hope that maybe one day you will feel the pain in your soul that you created in ours. I hope one day you are going to realize how bad of a person you are. I hope one day that you will actually feel bad about the things you have done. As of today, I am free of you,” she said.
When Pickron was found guilty, Selby highlighted the importance of the Lakes Area Child Advocacy Center. “This type of abuse is extremely hard for children, particularly young children, to talk about, especially in front of a room full of strangers and the person who did the bad things to them. The CAC helps me be the voice for the children in the courtroom,” Selby said. The CAC provides a child friendly facility and interviewers where children can talk about frightening things in a safe place.
Pickron received the maximum sentence for each charge. Four life sentences, one for each count of first degree statutory sodomy, seven years for child molestation, four years for sexual misconduct with a minor and six months for second degree sexual misconduct.
Isaac Estes-Jones
A Reeds Spring man, convicted of decades of child molestation and abuse in November, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Gary Pickron, 74, was sentenced on Tuesday, January 2, to four consecutive life sentences, plus four and seven year sentences by Circuit Judge Jack Goodman.
Pickron sexually abused several young girls since at least 1995, according to Stone County Prosecutor Matt Selby. Two charges were originally filed in early 2015 after two young girls, aged four and five, said Pickron had touched them inappropriately with his hands and mouth. After those initial charges were filed, other victims came forward and disclosed they had also been abused by Pickron while visiting his home in Reeds Spring. All of the victims were reportedly under the age of 8 at the time of the assaults.
During the sentencing hearing last Tuesday, Judge Goodman heard arguments from attorneys, considered the evidence, and heard testimony from Pickron and some of the victims. Pickron, according to documents provided to the court, continued to deny any wrong doing. This testimony did not sway either the jury that found Pickron guilty in November 2017, nor did it affect Judge Goodman at sentencing.
Prosecuting Attorney Selby argued that Pickron had a propensity for these types of crimes and would always be a public safety risk. “The court needs to send a strong message that this type of conduct will not be tolerated,” a press release on Pickron’s sentencing read.
“Gary Pickron should never set foot outside a prison again, and with this sentence he will spend the rest of his life there,” said Selby. “He has injured child after child over more than two decades and some of them are still trying to cope with the consequences of his behavior.”
During the sentencing, one of the victims spoke directly to Pickron. “I hope that maybe one day you will feel the pain in your soul that you created in ours. I hope one day you are going to realize how bad of a person you are. I hope one day that you will actually feel bad about the things you have done. As of today, I am free of you,” she said.
When Pickron was found guilty, Selby highlighted the importance of the Lakes Area Child Advocacy Center. “This type of abuse is extremely hard for children, particularly young children, to talk about, especially in front of a room full of strangers and the person who did the bad things to them. The CAC helps me be the voice for the children in the courtroom,” Selby said. The CAC provides a child friendly facility and interviewers where children can talk about frightening things in a safe place.
Pickron received the maximum sentence for each charge. Four life sentences, one for each count of first degree statutory sodomy, seven years for child molestation, four years for sexual misconduct with a minor and six months for second degree sexual misconduct.