Pennsylvania

1,200 Counts of Child Sex Abuse Leaves Judge ‘Absolutely Speechless'

A central Pennsylvania man who pleaded guilty to raping two young girls hundreds of times over the past few years has been sentenced to 50 to 100 years in prison.

Eric Todd Crader, 33, who was charged with 1,200 counts of child sex abuse was sentenced Tuesday in Centre County Court.

Crader reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty in July to 213 counts of child rape.

District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said in a statement that predators like him "who prey upon children and manipulate them with fear are the real monsters of some childhoods."

Judge Bradley Lunsford said the details of the case left him "absolutely speechless."

The case came to light when one of the victims talked with her school counselor. During interviews with investigators, both victims said they were afraid to say anything because Crader told them they would "be in trouble," according to the Centre Daily Times.

The mother of one of the victims wrote in an impact statement that her daughter's abuse had affected her other children because they too were living with the physical and emotional pain she suffered.

Asked whether he had anything to say, Crader, who is from Pleasant Gap, said only that "The hardest thing and the right thing are always the same thing."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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