John D. Patrick - Child molester receives 140 years

Madison Superior Court 3 Judge Thomas Newman sentenced a man to 140 years in prison Monday after he pleaded guilty in March to several counts of child molestation.

John D. Patrick pleaded guilty March 17 to three counts of child molesting, all Class A felonies, and two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, one as a Class B felony and the other as a Class C felony.

The charges had alleged Patrick had molested a girl for several years, beginning when she was 7.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed with the charges:

The girl, who is mildly mentally handicapped, told investigators in August she and Patrick had sex lots of times. Patrick allegedly told the girl that he'd kill her and her mother if she ever talked about the incidents. The girl said the last molestation occurred on Aug. 3.

Patrick admitted to detectives he inappropriately touched the girl and performed sex acts on her several times. He also said he had sex with the girl four or five times.

The girl's mother told police she walked in one time in June when Patrick and the girl were performing sex acts on one another. She told detectives Patrick had beaten her and her daughter in the past, and she was afraid of him. Patrick also allegedly told the woman that if he went to jail, she'd likely go to jail as well.

The police investigation began when a family friend reported the abuse.