Robert E. Anderson, 55, of Elizabethtown Borough, was sentenced by Judge Jeffery Wright on May 4 to 46 to 100 years in state prison after a jury convicted him of 37 offenses following a December trial, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
The convictions included three counts of rape of a child, one count of attempted rape of a child, six counts of statutory sexual assault, and one count of attempted statutory sexual assault, among other charges, prosecutors said.
Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick described Anderson as a “con man” who built a false image as someone who cared about children while secretly abusing them, according to the release.
Judge Wright praised the victims before sentencing for coming forward against “a man who was supposed to love and protect them,” the DA’s office said.
Investigators said Anderson sexually abused the children at his home in the first block of Foxfield Lane and other Elizabethtown locations between 2013 and 2018.
One victim told police the abuse started when they were 11 years old. Anderson allegedly forced the child to sleep in the same bed as him and exchanged gifts for sexual acts, according to investigators.
The abuse continued until the victim was about 16 years old, police said. Anderson allegedly warned the victim not to tell anyone.
Another victim, a family friend in sixth grade at the time, told investigators Anderson brought them to his home in early 2018 under the guise of helping with a school project before sexually abusing them, according to the DA’s office.
The victim told police Anderson warned them multiple times not to tell anyone what had happened.
Authorities said the investigation began years later after the victims disclosed the abuse.
Elizabethtown Borough Police Detective Matthew Shuey filed the charges.
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