Staunton woman pleads guilty to sexually abusing young girl
STAUNTON — A woman pleaded guilty Wednesday in Staunton Circuit Court to charges she sexually abused a young girl.
Sarah K. Snead, 46, of Staunton, was convicted of aggravated sexual battery and taking indecent liberties with a minor. In a plea agreement, 20 additional charges lodged against her were not prosecuted.
Snead is still facing a charge of child abuse in Augusta County, court records show. Staunton authorities charged her in May during the child abuse investigation when the sexual abuse allegations arose.
In Staunton Circuit Court on Wednesday, Staunton Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Joseph Perry said the girl was fondled by Snead on more than one occasion, and said the girl would have testified Snead "made it feel like a game."
Perry said the sexual abuse took place during a roughly four-year span when the girl was under the age of 14. The prosecutor said the victim knew Snead's behavior "was not normal," but said she didn't understand it was sexual abuse at the time.
At an earlier court hearing in 2023, where Snead was denied bond, Perry said the girl's father found a video on her cell phone that reportedly showed Snead giving her a shot of alcohol. Perry said during the same incident, the girl found a gun behind a couch and took a picture of it pointed at her head.
While being interviewed by Augusta County authorities about the video, the girl reported she'd been sexually abused by Snead, according to Perry. The girl said the abuse stopped when she reached puberty.
Per the plea agreement, Snead was sentenced to 25 years in prison with 21 1/2 years suspended, leaving her with 3 1/2 years behind bars. She will be credited with time served.
Snead, represented by attorney Dana Cormier, was also placed on five years of probation and will be registered as a sex offender.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton woman pleads guilty to sexually abusing young girl
