Rebersburg man sentenced for child rape

A Centre County man was sentenced Friday to 24 to 48 years in a state prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of child rape.

Austin H. Ronk, 21, of Rebersburg, was charged in December 2015 with more than six dozen counts of sexual assault against a child, including counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault. Ronk reportedly admitted to the assaults during interviews with police, and pleaded guilty to the felony and misdemeanor charges in August.

At sentencing, Ronk’s attorney, Stephanie Cooper, sought leniency with the court, asking for a maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years. According to Cooper, Ronk is not emotionally or mentally developed as an adult and was not found by a sexual offender board to be a sexually violent predator.

Cooper argued that decades-long sentence would leave Ronk institutionalized and unable to contribute as an adult when his sentence was over.

Prosecution from the District Attorney’s Office, which requested a sentence of 30 to 60 years, said to ask for leniency would be a “slap in the face to this child.” The prosecution argued that Ronk was fully aware of what he was doing, citing that he had bragged about the assault and attempted to conceal his actions through threats.

“What he did to her can’t be taken back,” the prosecution said, “and she’ll have to live with this for the rest of her life.”

Centre County Judge Thomas Kistler sentenced Ronk to a total of 24 to 48 years in state prison on the charges of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. This sentence would be followed with a total of five years probation on the charges of unlawful restraint, and Ronk will have to register as a tier three sex offender for the rest of his life.

This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Rebersburg man sentenced for child rape."