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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- An Altoona man who has been in the Blair County Prison for almost three years since he was arrested on child sexual abuse allegations is now awaiting transfer to a state prison to complete two sentences imposed Wednesday adding up to 5.5 to 13 years' incarceration.
Richard Ellis Bush Jr., 40, bowed his head during much of his sentencing hearing that was preceded by a hearing where Senior Judge Timothy M. Sullivan ruled that Bush meets the state's definition of a sexually violent predator.
Bush pleaded guilty in May 2021 to aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault of a person less than 13, unlawful contact with a minor and related offenses. But Bush wasn't immediately sentenced, pending an assessment to include a recommendation on whether he should be classified as a sexually violent predator.
After psychologist William G. Allenbaugh concluded in September 2021 that Bush met the criteria, defense attorney John Siford secured Sullivan's permission in March 2022 to pursue a second assessment.
In court Wednesday, Siford said he had a letter from the second evaluator but wasn't introducing it.
Allenbaugh, who testified in court Wednesday, said Bush was 36 years old in May 2020 when he was accused of sexual interactions with 3- and 11-year-old boys on two different occasions at his Altoona residence, then on the 800 block of Seventh Avenue.
Allenbaugh's assessment showed Bush's criminal record with 12 arrests. That included five arrests as a juvenile, Allenbaugh testified, including one resulting in a referral to a residential program for sex offenders.
Allenbaugh deemed Bush to have an anti-social personality disorder, which allowed him to sexually abuse the children while disregarding the consequences. The psychologist said it was a reflection of Bush's long pattern of disregarding the rights of others.
As a sexually violent predator, Bush will be required to regularly register his address and related information with state police for the rest of his life. That reflects current law, which has attracted constitutional challenges that are pending.
In court on Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Ian Hausner asked Sullivan to sentence Bush to four to eight years on the child sexual abuse offenses, followed by seven years' probation, as negotiated when Bush entered his guilty pleas in March 2021.
Hausner said the victims were in agreement with the proposed sentence and sexual offender registration requirements.
After handing down that sentence, Sullivan addressed Bush violation of five-year probationary sentence in a 2016 case where he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm without a license and reckless endangerment. For violating that probation, Sullivan imposed 18 months to five years' incarceration, to be served in addition to the four to eight years' incarceration.
Additional sentencing conditions require Bush to have no contact with the victims, to undergo a mental health assessment and to complete treatment for sexual offenders.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.