Man gets 10 years in child molestation case

By JEFFREY SIMMONS/Staff

Convicted of molesting a 4-year-old girl and possessing child pornography, a 34-year-old Wytheville man will spend 10 years in prison for his crimes.
Richard Louis Mobley must also register as a sex offender and will be on probation the rest of his life after being convicted Monday of three felony charges stemming from a Wytheville Police Department investigation.
According to evidence summarized Monday afternoon, Mobley made the girl perform oral sex on him as part of a “kitty cat” game he created. Officers also found pornographic videos featuring children on his seized computer, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Daronda Combs said in court.
Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, Mobley entered an Alford plea to the charges – two counts of forcible sodomy and one count of possessing child pornography – in Wythe County Circuit Court. Even though it has the same outcome as a guilty plea, an Alford plea allows defendants to maintain their innocence.
As part of a plea agreement with the prosecution, Mobley was given a 65-year prison sentence with all but the 10 years suspended.
Should he violate his probation after his release, Mobley could be required to serve the remaining 55 years, Combs said. Forcible sodomy carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Mobley also can’t have any contact with the victim or her family.
“Can you write her a letter; can you e-mail her?” Judge Josiah Showalter Jr. asked Mobley during Monday’s hearing. “No,” he answered, but didn’t make a statement when the judge asked him if had anything to say.
Indicted in May, Mobley had originally been charged with four more felony charges – two forcible sodomy counts, one count of taking indecent liberties with a minor and one count of possessing child pornography. Those charges were dropped on Monday.
In search warrant documents, Wytheville investigators said the victim “gave highly specific details about the sexual encounter,” including the presence of a genital piercing.
Officers took a variety of items from Mobley’s residence on May 1, including at least one digital camera, rolls of film, photographs, a Web camera, a computer, VHS tapes, CDs and a cell phone.
Jeffrey Simmons can be reached at 228-6611 or .