BELFAST — An Ashland man was sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release in Waldo County’s Unified Criminal Court Oct. 27.

Richard Grey, 29, was convicted of gross sexual assault against a child yet to reach age 12 in early October. The offense is considered a class A felony with penalties of up to 30 years in prison and/or $50,000.

The assault, which was investigated by Maine State Police Detective Hugh Landy, occurred in February 2015, in Belmont.

The investigation into Grey began after law enforcement received a referral from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) June 30, 2015.

An interview was conducted with the victim July 1, led by a DHHS caseworker, according to court documents.

During the interview, the victim stated that the abuse had occurred while Grey was acting as a caretaker for the child while their parent was out of town.

When Grey was interviewed by law enforcement July 2, he initially denied the allegation of abuse.

Later during the interview, when asked whether or not the victim was lying, he responded with, “I don’t know,” according to an affidavit.

In an interview conducted July 22, Grey denied any wrongdoing while caring for the child.

In addition to serving eight years in prison, Grey is forbidden from having contact with his victim. He will also be subject to 10 years of supervised release following completion of his sentence. Additionally, Grey will be a Tier III registrant under the 2013 Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. This classification, the most severe of the three levels, means Grey will have to check in with law enforcement every 90 days for the duration of his life, according to court documents.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com