Following two trials, a Jefferson man could face up to 75-years in prison for sexually abusing his daughter.

Assistant Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn tells Raccoon Valley Radio that 47-year-old James Hubert Exline was found guilty by a jury in Bremer County Wednesday of felony charges for second degree sexual abuse and third degree sexual abuse. Laehn says the jury took 45-minutes to deliberate before they made their decision. He talks about the trial and reactions when the verdict was read.

“It was a very emotionally intense trial. There’s a lot of emotion from the people who testified. You see and hear people on the stand trying to restrain their tears. And I think even when the verdict was read, there were a few members of the jury who were weeping. You could hear people in the courtroom weeping.”

One of Exline’s charges was his second or subsequent offense for sexual abuse and Laehn says District Court Judge James Drew didn’t notify the jury about Exline’s previous conviction before the trial started.

“According to the law that the jury has to determine a defendant’s guilt or innocence based on the facts of this case. And the law says if the jury is informed of past convictions that information would be so prejudicial that the defendant would basically be denied a fair trial. So the jury never heard initially that the defendant had prior convictions.”

The defendant waived his right to a jury trial and Judge Drew acted as “the jury.” He ruled that Exline did have a prior conviction and will now face up to 75-years in prison. Exline was accused of sexually abusing his 12-year-old daughter, Paige Exline, from June 2016 to April 2017. Paige was one of two victims that died in a house fire in Guthrie Center in May of 2017.

According to online court documents, Exline’s sentencing will be held at the Greene County Courthouse on August 6th at 10:30am. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.