Bragg sentenced to two years for sexual battery

A Strasburg man charged with sexual battery and aggravated sexual battery against a minor was sentenced to two years in jail last week.

Initially charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery, Jerry Russell Bragg, 48, pleaded guilty Jan. 28 to a single felony count and a misdemeanor sexual battery charge as part of a plea deal with Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff. He was sentenced last Tuesday (June 24) in Rappahannock County Circuit Court.

In his January statement to the court, Goff said that between Jan. 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2001, Bragg molested two of his sons at his home in Amiss-

ville. Capt. J.C. Welch of the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Bragg on June 20, 2012 — an interview in which, according to Goff’s statement, Bragg admitted the abuse began when each boy was “around 10 or 11.”

Bragg is the biological father of both boys. According to a statement submitted to the court, the abuse continued until 2007, when the boys were 16 years old. Friends of Bragg filled several of the courthouse pews Tuesday morning; four of them submitted recommendation on Bragg’s behalf.

Goff argued for sentence in the midpoint of the guidelines, and said the fact that the abuse continued “for some time” should factor into the sentence.

“Mr. Bragg is a very fortunate man to have such a close network of friends,” Goff said, “and that speaks for him on the outside . . . These crimes shocked me to my very core. This went on for a long time . . . These are crimes against children, and that needs a measure of punishment.”

Bragg’s defense counsel, Peter Hansen, described the case as “unusual,” as he rarely had a defendant accused of such crimes still display “the depth of community support Mr. Bragg has.” Hansen conceded that there needed to be punishment handed down, but asked for a 14-month sentence.

“I know that’s a lot to ask,” Hansen said. “But there’s no question he will obey the law to the letter from now on . . . Once he understands what an authority figure is asking of him, it’s in his nature to obey.”

For his part, Bragg thanked those who came out to support him, and apologized to the community and to his family. “I wish [my family] could hear me say I’m sorry,” Bragg said. “I really want my family to forgive me.”

Judge Herman A. Whisenant imposed a sentence of 10 years (eight suspended), a $1,000 fine and five years of supervised probation on the aggravated sexual battery charge. On the sexual battery charge, Whisenant sentenced Bragg to 12 months (all suspended) and five years of supervised probation.