A Springfield man will spend the next few decades behind bars after his sentencing on charges that he engaged in sex acts with an 11-year-old girl who was in his care.
Prosecutors say 37-year-old John Throop was a friend of the girl’s family and sometimes watched her. They say that from the time the girl was 11 until she was 13, he periodically had sexual contact with her, and sometimes photographed the activity.
Throop was sentenced to 35 years on one felony count, and 10 years each on two other charges. Those sentences must be served consecutively, which will put him behind bars for more than 40 years.
