Photo by Michele Newbanks Deputy Justin Sheaves prepares to handcuff Paul Sebring after Sebring was sentenced Friday morning in Washington County Common Pleas Court to one year in prison for two counts of gross sexual imposition.

A one-year sentence was handed down Friday morning to a Waterford man who pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted gross sexual imposition with two young girls. He received one year for each count, which will run concurrently.

Paul A. Sebring, 48, of 363 Echo Valley Road, was indicted in January 2019 on three third-degree felony counts of gross sexual imposition.

He pleaded guilty in January to two of the three counts, and as part of the plea agreement, the charges were dropped from third-degree gross sexual impositions to fourth-degree attempted gross sexual impositions.

Washington County Assistant Prosecutor David Silwani said the state was asking for Sebring to receive a three-year prison sentence, the maximum under the plea agreement.

“In reviewing the (pre-sentence investigation), the defendant did not show remorse for his actions. Furthermore, the defendant was a prior sex offender while this offense was committed,” Silwani explained. “While he will be given new tier registration, we believe that because he’s already a prior sex offender, this is a little different from a first-time offender. He’s already been in prison once before on sex offenses.”

Silwani said Sebring’s prior conviction was for sexual battery, and in this case, the victims were both girls under the age of 12 at the time of the offense.

Sebring’s attorney, Ray Smith, said his client was a registered sex offender and registers regularly. He said the offense was an older offense, as it occurred in December 2013, and his client pleaded guilty.

He requested a one-year sentence be given on each of the two counts to run concurrently.

Sebring did not speak on his own behalf.

Washington County Common Pleas Judge Randall Burnworth noted Sebring had served 121 days in jail while awaiting sentencing on these charges. Along with the prison sentence, he also received five years of post-release control.

Burnworth said he will also be listed as a Tier II sex offender.

“In the Tier II is a reporting period of 25 years, with in-person verification every 180 days,” he said.

Michele Newbanks can be reached at mnewbanks@mariettatimes.com.

At a glance:

• Paul Sebring, 48, of Waterford, was sentenced to a year in prison for two counts of gross sexual imposition.

• Sebring pleaded guilty in January to the two counts.

• He was indicted in January 2019 on three counts of the crime.

• The offenses occurred in late 2013.

• He was a previously convicted sex offender.

Source: Washington County Court of Common Pleas.