Sisters man sentenced in juvenile rape case

Jim Cornelius | Last updated Feb 27, 1996 12:0pm0

Tommy Vaughn Honea of Sisters was sentenced February 20 to 18 months in prison and five years of post-prison supervision (less time served) on a charge of third-degree rape.

Honea, 25, pleaded guilty to the charge on October 4, 1995. The rape charge stemmed from a May 7, 1995 incident in which Honea had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl who allegedly had passed out at his apartment in Sisters.

Honea was subsequently arrested after authorities found him in violation of a conditional release from jail. The conditions of Honea's release forbade him from contact with minor females and from drinking alcoholic beverages.

The third degree rape charge carried a presumptive sentence of three years probation. According to District Attorney Melissa Lande, the court imposed a stiffer sentence because the judge "found that he was not a good probation candidate."

According to Lande, those reasons included the vulnerability of the victim, the possibility that Honea could pose a continuing threat to the community and that Honea had demonstrated that he was not amenable to treatment.

Lande said the judge recommended that Honea seek treatment as a sex offender and for substance abuse during his incarceration.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
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