(JEFFERSON, Ohio) - Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that a convicted sex offender has been sentenced to serve an additional 15 years in prison following his conviction on charges that he sexually assaulted a second child.
Ashtabula County Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey yesterday sentenced Jason Sams, 35, to 15 years in prison after the defendant pleaded guilty to three counts of kidnapping, three counts of gross sexual imposition, and one count of sexual battery.
According to prosecutors with Attorney General DeWine's Special Prosecutions Section, Sams engaged in sexual conduct with the child in Ashtabula County in 2012. That same year, he also sexually assaulted the child during trips to Huron and Scioto counties.
Sams, of North Kingsville, is currently serving a three-year prison sentence in connection with the sexual assault of a different child in Hocking County. During the course of the Hocking County investigation, agents with the Attorney General's Crimes Against Children Unit gathered evidence that led them to the second victim.
"This defendant targeted children whose parents trusted him enough to allow him to be alone with their kids and even take them on trips to different parts of the state," said Attorney General DeWine. "This man is a predator, and I’m pleased that in addition to the time he is already serving, he'll now be behind bars for an additional 15 years."
Sams was previously scheduled to leave prison in September 2015.
As part of both sentences, Sams was designated a Tier III sex offender. The Tier III designation requires Sams to register his address with law enforcement for the rest of his life following his release from prison.
Jason Sams
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