HARTFORD CITY, Ind. — A Hartford City man has failed in a bid to have his 24-year sentence for a pair of child molesting convictions reduced.
Bryan Gonzalez-Medina, now 31, was charged in September 2022 with eight counts of child molesting: four Level 1 felonies, each carrying up to 40 years in prison, and four Level 4 felonies, each with a maximum 12-year sentence.
In April, after striking a deal with the Blackford County prosecutor’s office, Gonzalez-Medina pleaded guilty to two of the Level 4 felony charges, and the other six counts were dismissed.
Blackford Circuit Court Judge Brian Bade then imposed a maximum 24-year sentence.
The Hartford City man had been accused of sexually abusing a pre-teen girl several times over a one-year period. Hartford City police and the state Department of Child Services conducted an ensuing investigation.
In an interview with a Hartford City police detective, Gonzalez-Medina admitted to several of his accuser’s allegations.
In a later appeal of his sentence, Gonzalez-Medina maintained the judge’s decision to impose a maximum sentence was inappropriate given the defendant’s “character.” The Blackford County man had no prior criminal convictions.
In recent days, the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected the appeal.
In the 3-0 ruling, Judge Nancy Vaidik noted that Gonzalez-Medina “didn’t just molest (the victim) twice; he acknowledged molesting her around 25 times.”
The judge also noted the grim nature of some of those assaults, which could have resulted in his conviction on Level 1 felony charges that carry up to 40 years in prison.
“Despite some positive character traits, Gonzalez-Medina has failed to persuade us that his 24-year sentence is inappropriate,” she wrote.
Gonzalez-Medina, incarcerated at the Miami Valley Correctional Facility north of Kokomo, has a projected release date in September 2040, according to a state Department of Correction website.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Blackford County sex offender fails in bid for sentence reduction