A Gadsden man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term, in the wake of a guilty plea to child sexual abuse charges.

Robert Dale Kitchens, age 31, entered that plea before Judge David Kimberly on the charges of Sodomy 1st Degree and Sexual Abuse of a Child Under the Age of 12.

Kitchens was sentenced to 30 years on the two sodomy charges and 20 years on that sexual abuse charge.

He was arrested back in December, 2013 – following an investigation which started after an eight year old girl reported that Kitchens had been sexually abusing her.

That investigation determined the abuse had been occurring for approximately two years.

Authorities also stressed that, in Alabama, those convicted of sexually abusing a child under the age of 12, is NOT eligible for an early release from imprisonment, due to good behavior, probation or parole – meaning, essentially, Kitchen will be behind bars for the next 30 years

(al.com/www.al.com)