Published: June 07, 2006 11:55 pm         

Sex offender gets 15 years

Daniel B. Harvey, 35, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to two felony crimes involving sexual abuse of a child, District Attorney Cathy Stocker said.

Charges of lewd molestation and forcible oral sodomy were filed Jan. 18, 2005, alleging Harvey fondled and performed oral sex on a 15-year-old boy.

At the close of Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Ron Jones, Harvey’s attorney, asked the court to order Harvey to prison but to suspend the balance of his sentence after he completed a sex offender treatment program. Assistant District Attorney Stefanie Hampton urged the court to instead sentence Harvey to 15 years in prison.

After listening to the victim’s mother testify and the arguments of the attorneys, District Judge Dennis Hladik sentenced Harvey to 15 years in prison for forcible oral sodomy and ordered that while incarcerated, he receive sex offender treatment. Under Oklahoma law, Harvey will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Hladik further ordered Harvey, upon his release from prison, serve 15 years on probation for lewd molestation. During the suspended sentence, Harvey must abide by special sex offender rules and conditions of probation that, among other things, prohibit Harvey from being in contact with children and from loitering around places where children are likely to be present.

“Judge Hladik’s sentences were appropriate in that Harvey will be punished for his crimes and, while being incarcerated, he will receive sex offender treatment,” Stocker said. “The suspended sentence provides structure upon his release from prison while prohibiting additional contact with children.”