E’town man found guilty in rape, incest case

George William Beason could spend the rest of his life in jail after being found guilty Friday morning of multiple sex crimes against an underage girl.

George Beason

Beason, 32, was found guilty of engaging in multiple sex acts with a girl who, along with her mother and siblings, lived with him. Hardin Circuit Judge Ken Howard recommended Beason be sentenced to 70 years in prison for his crimes.

He was charged with third-degree rape, three counts of incest, three counts of third-degree sodomy, five counts of first-degree sexual abuse and distribution of obscene matter to minors. He was found guilty on all of the charges except for one count of first-degree sexual abuse. Howard said there was insufficient evidence to find him guilty on that charge.

Howard, in his explanation as to why he rendered the verdict, said in such cases the credibility of the alleged victim’s testimony is key to finding guilt. He felt the girl, who testified Thursday, was believable.

“Her demeanor during her testimony, the specifics that she gave, add credibility to what she testified to,” Howard said. He said her testimony also corroborated with other evidence presented in the trial.

Once Howard rendered his verdict, Friday’s court proceedings moved into the penalty phase, in which both sides presented evidence as to what sort of sentence Howard should recommend for Beason.

Defense attorney David Stewart asked Howard to consider that Beason has two small children. He asked for the minimum penalty Beason could face.

The defense called Beason’s father, George Beason Sr., to testify to his son’s character. Beason Sr. spoke about the time his son spends with his children and how he would like to see that continue. Beason Sr.’s grandson lives with him, while his granddaughter lives with her mother, he said.

“He needs to be with his son,” he said of Beason.

Beason Sr. said he would like to see his son “do better” and said he thought he could do better.

“I’d like to see him get his life on track,” he said.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Carr brought forth evidence to show Beason previously was convicted of a felony, and that he was on parole when the abuse began. They asked for Howard to find Beason guilty of being a persistent felony offender in the second degree, which could affect sentencing.

Stewart closed his argument by asking for mercy for Beason.

“He’s a father, he’s a son, he’s a brother, he’s a friend,” he said.

Carr closed by saying Beason already received mercy before by receiving probation and parole, and proved he could not comply with the terms.

Carr said the girl was abused multiples times, and then had to relive it through the police investigation and the trial.

“This is an event that happened to a 14-year-old girl that shouldn’t ever happen to anyone,” he said. “There was no mercy on her.”

Howard deliberated for more than an hour. He found Beason guilty of being a second-degree persistent felony offender. He said, however, the charge wouldn’t ultimately affect the penalty, because the total of 70 years he recommended for Beason was sufficient for justice.

Carr said he was happy with the outcome, and said considering the length of time the girl was abused, a recommendation of 70 years was “fairly just.”

Stewart expressed his disappointment in the verdict and the sentence recommendation, and said he planned to appeal.

Howard set a formal sentencing for Beason at 10 a.m. April 2.

Kelly Cantrall can be reached at (270) 505-1747 or kcantrall@thenewsenterprise.com.