CLIFTON MAN RECEIVES 24-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR CHILD MOLESTATION

A Clifton man received a 24-year prison sentence today after a jury determined he sexually molested a little girl on multiple occasions.

David Fitch, 47, was found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and lewd act on a minor at the conclusion of a two-day jury trial.

The assaults occurred over a three-year period that ended in July 2003. The victim stayed in the defendant’s home on several occasions. The victim, who was between 11 and 13 years of age when the crimes occurred, told her mother about the sexual contact after the fact. The mother reported the crime to the Sheriff’s Office. The girl also described the activity in detail during a forensic interview with the Children’s Advocacy Center. Medical evidence collected by the child’s doctor further strengthened the case, according to Assistant Solicitor Tony Leibert.

Fitch will serve 85 percent of Circuit Judge Derham Cole’s prison sentence before he is eligible for release. He will also have his name added to the Sex Offender Registry.