NOVEMBER 21, 2022 - A Casey County Circuit Court jury found Dennis Keith Sims, age 71, guilty of two (2) counts of First-Degree Sexual Abuse late Friday following a two-day jury trial.

According to testimony at trial, Sims sexually abused two (2) children between December 2020 and January 2021 in Liberty. The children were ages 7 and 9 at the time of the abuse. The case was investigated by Kentucky State Police Trooper Billy Begley. The jury convicted Sims and recommended that he serve the maximum sentence – ten (10) years – for each count. Pursuant to Kentucky law, those sentences must be served consecutively (one after the other) since the crimes involved multiple victims, meaning Sims faces a total of twenty (20) years in prison. Additionally, Sims will be required to complete a sex offender treatment program and will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Brian Wright prosecuted the case. After the trial, Wright thanked Trooper Begley for his efforts investigating the case – including conducting an interview with Sims that was played during the trial. Wright also thanked the members of the jury for their attention during the trial and for ensuring that justice was served in this case. Wright added, “protecting the children in this community is one of the top priorities of my office. I will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who abuses a child in this county.”

Sims, who was represented at trial by attorney Theodore Lavit from Lebanon, will appear before Casey Circuit Judge Judy Vance Murphy for final sentencing on February 13, 2023.