Probation is sentence in Troy child sex case

UPDATE @ 4:447 p.m. (June 22): A Vandalia man accused of sexually touching three girls under age 13 in 2013 in Troy has been sentenced to three years of probation for aggravated assault.

Ben J. Dykes, 47, originally was charged on three felony counts of gross sexual imposition accusing him of engaging in sexual contact on July 3, 2013. As part of the plea agreement in Miami County Common Pleas Court, the third-degree felony sexual imposition charges were amended to fourth-degree aggravated assault charges.

Prosecutors said Dykes was at a friend’s house in Troy when he was accused of improperly touching the girls attending a sleepover.

“I’m just mortified by what I’ve done,” Dykes told Judge Christopher Gee.

The judge also ordered Dykes to have no contact with the victims or their immediate families, follow a 9 p.m. To 6 a.m. curfew and undergo a sex offender assessment as well as follow any treatment recommendations.

“You have dramatically impacted some very young children,” Gee said. “I ‘m hopeful that you are sincere in your efforts to maintain your sobriety and want you to take very seriously the sex offender assessment.”

EARLIER REPORT (April 27)

A 47-year-old Vandalia man who admitted to sexually touching three girls under age 13 in 2013 in Troy could be going to prison for as many as 18 months when he is sentenced in June.

Ben J. Dykes, in a plea deal, admitted his guilt to lesser felony charges Monday in Miami County Common Pleas Court.

He originally faced three felony counts of gross sexual imposition accusing him of engaging in sexual contact with the girls on July 3, 2013. As part of the plea agreement approved by the county prosecutor’s office, the sexual imposition charges were amended to aggravated assault, a lower felony.

Prosecutors said Dykes was at a friend’s house in Troy when he was accused of improperly touching the girls, who were attending a sleepover at the house.

Common Pleas Judge Jeannine Pratt accepted Dykes’s plea and set sentencing for June 1.