LONGVIEW — A Longview man was sentenced Monday morning to over five years in prison for committing a sex crime against a minor.
Richard Ray Ball, 48, of Longview, was found guilty of first-degree child molestation after a two-day trial in September; the jury took just over 30 minutes to deliberate his fate.
Ball is appealing his case, but was sentenced to serve at least five years in a Washington state prison.
According to Ball’s attorney, Erin Bradley McAleer, he would be answerable to the quasi-judicial Indeterminate Sentence Review Board, a council responsible for setting the terms of his probation.
McAleer told The Daily News his client could be subject to review by the board every two years, and he must abstain from being around children once he exits prison.
Ball will be subjected to a lifetime of community custody.
As reported in court documents, the encounter occurred on the night of Oct. 28, 2022, when the victim told a family member they were sleeping after playing a board game with Ball, when they were awakened after he allegedly grabbed the victim’s hand and placed it on his “private parts.”
The victim told authorities they pretended to be asleep, and after Ball left the room, they wept as they washed their hands.
During their impact statement, the victim wrote that Ball “made me feel terrible, angry and unsafe,” and that his actions made them see him as “a man who hurts little kids.”
