LANCASTER, PA – A Strasburg man will serve up to 25 years in state prison after pleading guilty to repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a young girl over the course of several years, beginning when the victim was about eight years old.
Judge Merrill Spahn sentenced 26-year-old Brent Matthew Groff, of Denlinger Avenue, to 10 to 25 years behind bars following his guilty plea entered on October 28 to 15 felony and misdemeanor counts.
The charges include rape of a child, incest of a minor, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault of a person under 13, statutory sexual assault, and sexual assault.
Prosecutors said Groff repeatedly assaulted the victim between 2015 and 2023 at multiple locations in Lancaster County, including a residence on Charleston Road in Pequea Township that the two shared at the time.
Victim’s statement expresses both pain and forgiveness
In a letter submitted to the court, the now-18-year-old victim told Groff that she continues to struggle with the trauma caused by his actions but hopes he uses his time in prison to seek help. “I won’t ever be able to forget what you have done to me,” she wrote, “but you are forgiven.”
The victim described having “a hard time processing everything” and said the abuse has left her with “long-lasting issues” that will continue to affect her life.
Defendant admitted to assaults after initial denial
Investigators said Groff initially denied the allegations but later contacted police and admitted that many of the victim’s claims were true.
Groff, who began assaulting the victim as a teenager, will also be required to register as a sex offender for life as part of his sentence.