FAYETTEVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney Anthony Ciliberti Jr. announced Thursday that an Oak Hill man has been sentenced for the 2017 sexual assault of his then-girlfriend, who was a juvenile at the time.
The West Virginia State police received a call on November 3, 2017 reporting the sexual assault of a juvenile female.
The victim stated during an interview that, in July of 2017, she was at a Page residence with her boyfriend, Austin J. M. Goodwin when the two became engaged in a heated argument over a cell phone.
The situation escalated, at which point Goodwin is reported to have become physical and refused to allow the victim to leave the residence.
The victim advised that Goodwin threw her onto the bed, where her hands and feet were bound with rope to the bed frame.
Goodwin is said to have then pulled down the victim’s clothing before forcibly sexually assaulting her as she was bound to the bed frame.
The victim’s restraints were eventually removed, at which point she left the residence.
Following an interview with the victim, Goodwin was interviewed by the West Virginia State Police and admitted to the sexual assault.
Austin J. M. Goodwin, 26, formerly of Oak Hill, now faces no less than 10 and no more than 25 years in prison for one count of Second Degree Sexual Assault.
Goodwin pled guilty to the offense on March 18, 2021, and must spend a minimum of ten years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Following his sentence, he must serve 20 years of supervised release, the terms of which may be converted to a prison sentence should the rules of supervised release be violated by the defendant.
Furthermore, Goodwin will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The case was prosecuted by Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney Anthony Ciliberti Jr, and heard before Circuit Judge Paul M. Blake Jr.
