Mckean County man sentenced to serve at least 130 years following hundreds of sex crimes convictions

MCKEAN - District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-shaffer reports that, following a sentencing hearing at the Mckean County Courthouse, Darvin

Carpenter, was sentenced to the equivalent of a life sentence following his conviction of hundreds of sex offenses against 7 juvenile females over the course of 20 years. All of the victims except one is now an adult and some of them spoke at today’s sentencing. The jury convicted CARPENTER, age 52, of 251 counts including several counts of Rape of a Child, Rape by Forcible Compulsion, Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse, Aggravated Indecent Assault, providing marijuana to juveniles, and many other crimes. The case came to light after a juvenile victim old her mother that the defendant, who was a relative, touched her on her “bad spot.” Mother reported the child’s words to Childline, the state-wide hotline that receives reports of child abuse and refers them to the county Children and Youth agency and law enforcement agency with jurisdiction. Trooper Eric Thompson of the Pennsylvania State Police investigated the case. District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-shaffer: “The young girl who reported what the defendant did to her led to the discovery of numerous, horrific sex crimes that spanned 20 years. Her bravery and the bravery of the six other now-adult victims is remarkable. Today, many of them were in court and some of them spoke. Once again, they faced the defendant after years of victimization. Trooper Eric Thompson followed each tip with tenacity and located each of the victims. Together, he and the victims are to be credited for putting a dangerous predator behind bars.” Judge John H. Pavlock sentenced Carpenter to a total term of 130 years to 260 years of incarceration plus 3 years of consecutive supervision which is required by the sentencing code. Carpenter is not eligible for early reentry programs. After his evaluation by the Sex Offender Assessment Board and hearing before the Judge in October, Carpenter was determined to be a sexually violent predator which requires he register as a sex offender for his lifetime. He was ordered to have no contact with the victims or their immediate family members and no unsupervised contact with any juveniles, to undergo sex offender treatment, a D&A evaluation, provide a DNA sample, and other terms.