Trigger Warning: Child Sexual Abuse

Norfolk Man Sentenced to More Than 7 Years for Sexually Abusing Girlfriend’s Daughter

NORFOLK, Va. – Today, a Norfolk judge sentenced 33-year-old Jearl Ron Lewis Jr. to an active seven years and five months in prison for sexually abusing his then-girlfriend’s daughter between 2020 and 2021.

In December 2021, the girl reported to a schoolteacher that Mr. Lewis had been sexually assaulting her. The pre-teen had documented multiple instances of Mr. Lewis’ abuse at his home and of inappropriate text messages sent to her by Mr. Lewis between September 2020 and December 2021. When Norfolk Police investigators interviewed Mr. Lewis, he admitted to have “grinded” on the child on one occasion and to have performed oral sex on her on another.

Mr. Lewis pleaded guilty on April 10, 2023, to two counts of aggravated sexual battery of a child under the age of 13 and to one count of taking indecent liberties with a child under the age of 15, and Judge Tasha D. Scott accepted his plea.

Today, Judge Scott sentenced Mr. Lewis to an active seven years and five months in prison, with another 42 years and seven months suspended on the conditions that Mr. Lewis have no contact with the child and that he complete an indeterminate period of supervised probation, 50 years of uniform good behavior, sex offender registration, and all the recommendations from his psycho-sexual evaluation. Mr. Lewis’ active sentence reflects the high end of his recommended sentencing guidelines.

“Mr. Lewis chose to abuse a child to gratify his own desires. For that, he must go to prison,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi, “Mr. Lewis has earned his sentence, will be a registered sex offender, and will be under supervision to minimize his chances of reoffending.”

Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Andrew Kolp prosecuted Mr. Lewis’ case on behalf of the Commonwealth.

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