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George Wakeley, 62 of the 3400 block of Bull Road in York, was found guilty of 17 child abuse offenses on March 18, 2024, the DA's office detailed in the release. He was sentenced to 64 to 140 years in prison on the morning of Wednesday, June 26 by Lancaster County Judge Jeffrey Conrad.
A two-day day trial was held before Judge Jeffrey Conrad. After less than 25 minutes of jury deliberation, Wakeley "was found guilty of eight counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, three counts of corruption of minors, and six counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13, " as written in the DA's release.
One of the children told the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police about the abuse in 2018 "before an extensive investigation resulted in charges being filed on November 21, 2022," as stated in the release.
During the investigation, detectives learned that he sexually abused three children, ages 5 through 12, at a residence in the 1500 block of Rothsville Road, Warwick Township, Lititz, from 2003 through 2008.
Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick prosecuted the case and submitted the findings of a forensic psychologist who found "Wakeley to be a sexually violent predator and rare distinction as the defendant being a sadist," as stated in the DA's release.
Haverstick said the following during his closing argument:
“I thought I’d seen all of the evil and vile acts a man can do to a child, but then you see a man do something this depraved. Who can come up with something that sick? George Wakeley, that’s who."
Wakeley's lawyer argued that he had an abusive childhood. When Wakeley got to speak he "delivered an expletive-laden denial of the charges and convictions," according to the DA.
Haverstick asked the judge to impose a sentence of 108 ½ to 217 years.
Wakeley has been in federal prison on child pornography charges since 2015.
Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Detective Eric Zimmerman filed charges and testified at the trial.
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