Painted Post Man Could Get More Than 30 Years in Prison
By Larry Wilson
Star-Gazette
February 27, 2007
http://www.star-gazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070227/NEWS01/702270318/1001
Bath -- A former Steuben County pastor faces up to 32 years in prison following his guilty plea Monday to felony sexual abuse charges.
David J. Troup, 39, of Frog Hollow Road, Painted Post, pleaded guilty Monday to all charges in a Jan. 18 indictment. The most serious charge, first-degree course of conduct against a child, carries a maximum sentence of five to 25 years in state prison.
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| David J. Troup |
Troup, former pastor of the Borden Baptist Church in the town of Woodhull, will be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. May 21 by Judge Marianne Furfure.
State Police arrested Troup in October following a report from the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment. They identified the victims as two boys younger than 11 years old and said the incident occurred in the town of Woodhull in July 2005.
Other charges to which Troup pleaded guilty Monday:
•Second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child.
•Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
•Three counts of second-degree sexual abuse.
Troup's defense lawyer, William Kelley, said the defendant elected to plead guilty and not contest the charges. He said there was no agreement on a sentence.
"He said he knows he has done some things that are improper and he is prepared to take the penalty and move on," Kelley said.
Kelley said Troup, who is free on bail, has entered into a therapy program in Binghamton.
"He's trying his best to rehabilitate himself," Kelley said.
The maximum term to which Troup could be sentenced is 32 years in prison. The minimum is five years.
Steuben District Attorney John C. Tunney said he can still make a recommendation to the court on what sentence Troup should receive. But Tunney said the defendant's decision to plead guilty to the entire indictment left him no room to negotiate a plea agreement.
"When he pleads to everything, it removes my ability to set a floor (on the length of sentence)," Tunney said.
The indictment said Troup, between June 2005 and January 2006, engaged in two or more sexual acts with a child under the age of 13. He was also accused of subjecting a person under 14 years old to sexual contact in August and September 2006.
The charges of second-degree sexual abuse are punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Troup, in addition to his role as a pastor, was a former employee of the Steuben County Social Services Department.
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