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'He needs to be separated from society': Domestic abuser sentenced to 40 years in prison

The York Dispatch - 9/15/2021

Sep. 15—'He needs to be separated from society': Domestic abuser sentenced to 40 years in prison

A York County judge sentenced a man to more than 40 years in prison for beating and sexually assaulting a woman.

Troy David Ames, 44, of the East Prospect area, received a minimum 40 1/2 years in state prison, with a maximum sentence of 81 years. The sentence comes following a trial earlier this year where a jury found Ames guilty of counts of strangulation, sexual assault, aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats and intimidating a victim.

Those charges were the result of two incidents in 2018.

In the first, according to Lower Windsor Township Police, Ames held a knife to a woman's throat, told her she would die, punched her in the head and held a pillow over her face before later sexually assaulting her.

About two weeks later, Ames again attacked the woman. Police said he held the woman against a wall, choked her and told her he'd kill her and bury her body in a field.

Ames previously went to jail for another attack in 2015 on the same woman.

"He wreaked havoc on the same victim," York County senior deputy prosecutor Erin Kraska said to the judge.

Due to the repeat acts of violence, prosecutors had requested a mandatory 25- to 50-year sentence on one of Ames' charges, which Judge Craig Trebilcock agreed to impose.

Ames' attorney, Rick Robinson, objected to that, stating he believed the sentence was unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment.

In a statement, Ames himself said he maintains his innocence.

"I believe I was wrongfully convicted and look forward to due process," he said.

When delivering the sentences, Trebilcock described Ames' actions as evil, adding that a standard prison sentence would not suffice. He pointed to Ames' criminal history, which also includes a conviction for a sex crime involving a minor, and said he believed Ames would retaliate against the victim if given the opportunity.

"He needs to be separated from society to protect society," the judge said. "This court is convinced that if he's released, he will come after her."

If he is released from prison, Ames would be placed on a mandatory three-year probation. He will also be a lifetime sex offender registrant.

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