Prior to his sentencing, a Hudson Valley man who pleaded guilty to having sexual conduct with a young girl asked for “forgiveness.”

In Ulster County Court, 54-year-old Jeffrey C. Brown of Saugerties was sentenced to 15 years in state prison and 20 years of post-release supervision for his conviction for sexually abusing a child.

In addition, he will be required to register under the New York State Sexual Offender Registration Act for the remainder of his life.

“The courage of this young person to overcome her own personal suffering and expose an adult figure who should have provided shelter to her from such atrocities, cannot be underestimated,” Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright said. “Most of these abhorrent crimes against children simply cannot commence without one victim who has the courage to make a

In February, Brown admitted that between September 1, 2014 and December 29, 2014, he sexually abused a child who was under the age of 13.

An investigation conducted by the Ulster County Family and Child Advocacy Center led to Brown’s arrest on August 25, 2016.

At his sentencing, Brown apologized for his behavior and asked for forgiveness. He claimed he will love the family forever, officials say.

According to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, Ulster County Court Judge Donald A. Williams had harsh words for Brown telling him that to ask forgiveness was “beyond any sense of human decency” and that he “could not imagine anything more loathsome” than what the defendant has done preying on a vulnerable child to “satisfy his perverse desires.”

An Order of Protection for the child will remain in effect until 2060.

Awful grades for local hospitals, tragedies, and a police standoff tops this week in Hudson Valley news.

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