GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – A 28-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to molesting a boy and a girl younger than 10.
Matthew Covey pleaded guilty to seven counts of attempted capital sexual battery and two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation.
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Following the plea, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison followed by a lifetime of sex offender probation.
The abuse happened between 2009 and 2010. Authorities were alerted to the abuse when the girl told her pediatrician and mother that Covey had inappropriately touched her.
"This guilty plea allows our young victims the chance to heal without facing their abuser in court," said Assistant State Attorney James Colaw.
As part of the sentence, Covey was designated a sexual predator.