LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster County man will serve up to 55 years in prison following his conviction in June for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in 2014, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.
Paul Woolery, 52, of Manor Township, was sentenced to a prison term of 27½ to 55 years by Lancaster County Judge Jeffrey Wright at a hearing last Friday, prosecutors said. He was convicted in June of aggravated indecent assault of a child, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault of a person under 13, and corruption of minors convictions.
Woolery faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 to 50 years since it was his second-strike offense, according to prosecutors. He had a prior conviction of sexual abuse in the first degree in New York in 2000.
Assistant District Attorney Jessica Collo also mentioned on the record that Woolery had two prior convictions for failing to register as a sex offender in 2013 and 2014.
Multiple character witnesses spoke on behalf of the defendant, who maintained his innocence, according to prosecutors.
Defense counsel said, “a sex offense accusation is a life-destroying event where there is a false accusation.”
Collo rebutted the defense's arguments.
“We aren’t here because of the impact on their lives,” she said. “We’re here for the impact on one life: (the victim's). And while the defendant believes a sex-offense allegation is a life-destroying event, I counter that sex abuse is a life-destroying event.”
Collo argued that no child should have to endure such abuse, the defendant showed no remorse, and the mandatory minimum sentence was a good starting point.
Wright stated a jury of 12 found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and the Commonwealth clearly and unequivocally met its burden to sentence on the mandatory minimum. He urged the defendant’s family and friends to not only consider their loss, but the young victim who also suffered.
Wright continued that Woolery’s crimes were of coercion, manipulation, and betrayal and that society needed to be protected.
