Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Huntington Man...Three-Time Convicted Felon

{Huntington, West Virginia}...Michael Austin Sorrell, 31, of Huntington entered an Alford plea Tuesday to three counts of attempting to commit a felony. Cabell Circuit Judge Paul T. Farrell accepted the plea and sentenced Sorrell to three to nine years in prison. Each count represents a reduced offense from an indictment that initially charged Sorrell with first-degree sexual assault and sexual abuse by a parent, guardian or custodian involving two girls, who are still less than 12 years old, between 2006 and July 2010. To avoid a possible life prison sentence, Sorrell accepted the lesser conviction and agreed to forego any chance at parole. Sorrell is now a three-time convicted felon, assuring him a lifetime spot on the state's sex offender registry.