Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear and his Special Prosecutions Unit today announced that a 58-year-old Ashland man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on kidnapping and on being a persistent felon charges.
Wallace Daniel Spence, of Ashland, was sentenced Aug. 31, 2017, by a Boyd Circuit Judge. Spence was indicted June 6, 2016, by a Boyd County grand jury for kidnapping a 14-year-old girl.
Spence was sentenced to 11 years in prison in August 2017 for the rape of the girl in Lawrence County, Ohio.
Boyd County Sheriff’s office investigated the case, and Beshear’s office prosecuted it. The Lawrence County Prosecutor’s office and the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky assisted in the investigation and prosecution.
As a result of the conviction, Beshear said Spence will not be eligible for parole until he serves at least 20 years of his sentence and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
“The punishment in this case does not undo the trauma inflicted on the victim, but it brings closure, some justice and the sex offender registration should protect others in the community,” Beshear said. “I want to thank Sheriff Woods and his team and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for working with our staff to ensure justice for this victim and her family.”
Beshear’s Special Prosecution Unit is responsible for assisting local prosecutors in complex or sensitive cases, as well as handling cases in which local prosecutors recuse themselves.
(provided by Office of the Attorney General)
