MONROE — An Anson County man was convicted by a jury on Jan. 16 of a series of sexual offenses, including statutory rape and incest.
In a release, the Union County District Attorney’s Office announced that 52-year-old Richard Thomas Horne, of Peachland, was found guilty of two counts of statutory sex offense, one count of statutory rape and one count of incest.
The presiding judge sentenced him to serve three consecutive sentences totaling 65 to 88.75 years in prison.
Court records showed that between 2010 and 2012, Horne began molesting his biological daughter by forcing her to perform sexual acts while her mother was working as a night nurse. At the time, she was between 4 and 6 years old.
Horne continued sexually assaulting his daughter until 2018. The abuse was uncovered in July 2021 when the victim’s stepsister inadvertently discovered text messages between the victim and a friend.
“I am thankful that this jury was able to see the truth and provide this young woman some measure of justice for all she has been through,” District Attorney Trey Robison said. “I commend her for her courage in seeing this case through and I hope she can continue the healing process.”
Should Horne ever be released from prison, he is required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life and be subject to satellite-based monitoring, they said.
The case was investigated by the Union County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant DA Megan Pfuntner.
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