Leland man sentenced for molesting child

In Brunswick County Superior Court on Thursday, March 11, 2010, David Alexander Sylvia pled guilty to one count of 1st Degree Sexual Offense With a Child and one count of Indecent Liberties with a Minor and received an active prison sentence of 144 – 182 months, which amounts to 12 – 15 years in jail. Sylvia, who was 22 years old at the time of the offenses, admitted to committing sexual acts against a 5 year old girl while the girl was visiting the home of Sylvia’s father over the Thanksgiving holidays in November of 2009.

According to reports by Sgt. John Keel of the Leland Police Department, in late November of 2009, Mr. Sylvia confessed to his father and step-mother that he had molested the victim while she was in Leland. Sylvia also confessed to molesting two other young girls in South Carolina and in Florida and to molesting the same victim from Brunswick County while he and the victim were at a home in South Carolina. Assistant District Attorney Meredith Everhart informed the court that authorities in both Florida and South Carolina had spoken to the victims’ families in those states and agreed not to prosecute Mr. Sylvia for the crimes that occurred in those states if he would voluntarily plead guilty to the charges in Brunswick County.

Defense Attorney Mike Ramos presented information to Judge Ola Lewis indicating that Mr. Sylvia has been under the care of a psychiatrist for the past ten years for a variety of mental issues, including ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, and learning disabilities. Judge Lewis ordered Mr. Sylvia to receive a full psychiatric evaluation in the Department of Corrections and to complete sex offender treatment courses. He will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his natural life, and he will be subject to GPS monitoring for the rest of his life as well.

The family of the victim was present in the courtroom for the plea and sentencing. According to Everhart, they are satisfied with the plea arrangement, which prevents their young daughter from having to come to court to testify against Mr. Sylvia. However, the parents are concerned about whether there are any other young girls who may have been victimized by Mr. Sylvia, and they are worried about whether Mr. Sylvia will offend on anyone else when he is released from prison. Everhart hopes that the treatment Mr. Sylvia receives in prison, combined with the sex offender registration and satellite monitoring for the rest of his life, will help ensure that no future incidents occur, but she says that, unfortunately, there are no guarantees.

INFORMATION FROM A NEWS RELEASE SENT TO THE WWAY NEWSCHANNEL 3 NEWSROOM.