A man accused of having a long-standing sexual relationship with a boy will serve 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree sodomy Thursday.
Robert Craker, 44, of Deland, Fla., admitted to having a sexual relationship with the boy, but questioned whether the boy was less than 12-years-old, as listed in court documents. Several times during the proceeding, he shrugged his shoulders when Clark Circuit Judge William Clouse went through the procedure and listed details of the case.
When Craker disputed the boy’s age, Clouse said he couldn’t accept the guilty plea. After a brief conversation with his attorney, Craker admitted the actions and went through with the plea to two counts of first-degree sodomy and one count of prohibited use of electronic communications to procure a minor for a sexual performance.
The plea agreement calls for Craker to serve 20 and 10 years for each of the two counts of sodomy. He will also serve one year for the electronics charge, which will run consecutively for a total sentence of 21 years.
Craker’s sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 13.
Craker was arrested in December 2010, four months after the juvenile’s parents filed a report with police. The boy told his parents that he had been in a sexual relationship with Craker for six years and that they had intercourse more than 100 times. Detectives also found “inappropriate” sexual communication between the two over Facebook. Court documents also said Craker asked for sexually explicit photos of the boy, and he complied. The next time Craker was in Kentucky, the boy said Craker bought him electronic equipment.
Contact Fred Petke at fpetke@winchestersun.com.
