FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Meadow Bridge man pleaded guilty Thursday to felony incest and third-degree sexual assault in Fayette County Circuit Court and was ordered held without bond pending sentencing.
According to Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney Anthony Ciliberti Jr., Gary W. McKnight, 64, pleaded guilty July 9 before Circuit Judge Thomas K. Fast to one count of incest and one count of third-degree sexual assault.
McKnight faces a prison sentence of five to 15 years for the incest conviction and one to five years for the third-degree sexual assault conviction.
Following the plea hearing, prosecutors requested that McKnight’s bond be revoked because of the nature of the offenses. Judge Fast granted the request and ordered McKnight held without bond until sentencing.
McKnight is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 21 at 11 a.m.
The charges stem from an investigation that began Aug. 15, 2024, after the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department received a report alleging McKnight had sexually abused a mentally disabled adult.
According to prosecutors, the victim told investigators McKnight engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim on three separate occasions. The investigation determined the victim had a significant intellectual disability and functioned at the intellectual level of an 8-year-old child.
Investigators were told McKnight allegedly used condoms during the assaults and discarded them in a bathroom trash can. During a search of McKnight’s residence, detectives recovered two used condoms. DNA testing later determined that both McKnight’s DNA and the victim’s DNA were present on the condoms, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The case was investigated by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department Detective Bureau. Victim support services were provided by A.W.A.Y., and the case was prosecuted by the Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
