A Clearfield man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a former girlfriend last summer was sentenced five years to life in prison Monday.
Jodie J. Hymas, 24, pleaded guilty to one of three first-degree felony charges in the incident in which the woman was kidnapped from a party in Clearfield on July 30, raped, and then driven to Evanston, Wyo., in the trunk of a car.Hymas cannot remember the event, a psychologist testified, probably the result of drug and alcohol abuse coupled with a psychological reaction against his involvement.
He doesn't deny that the incident occurred, Dr. Clifford Hilton testified Monday; it's just that he can't remember any of it. Hilton also testified it is difficult if not impossible from the viewpoint of a psychologist to predict if Hymas would commit another violent act in the future.
Testimony presented at the sentencing hearing in 2nd District Court shows Hymas was an unwanted child, born to a single mother. He was rejected as a child and grew up alienated from his family.
In addition to psychological problems, Hymas abused drugs and alcohol, according to defense testimony.
Judge Douglas L Cornaby said he agrees Hymas has problems, but the incident that occurred is serious and involves not just one, but a series of crimes. The judge rejected a motion to sentence Hymas on a second-degree rather than a first-degree felony conviction, which would have put him in prison for one to 15 years instead of five years to life.
Ultimately, the board of pardons will decide how much time Hymas spends in prison anyway, the judge said.
Hymas originally was charged with rape, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies. In a plea negotiation, he pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated sexual assault.
The charge is still a first-degree felony with a five-years-to-life prison term but does not carry the minimum mandatory prison term of five, 10 or 15 years that was attached to the original charge.