Staff report
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A 38-year-old White River Junction man may be facing up to 7 years in prison after being convicted last week of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child.
Matthew Branch pleaded no contest to the felony charge in Vermont Superior Court in White River Junction on Friday, and guilty to a misdemeanor charge of furnishing alcohol to a minor.
Branch, who is currently incarcerated and awaiting sentencing, was charged in early 2017 with giving a girl who was known to him permission to drink his alcohol, and then after she became intoxicated, he touched her inappropriately, according to a police affidavit.
Windsor County Deputy State’s Attorney Glenn Barnes said that the judge in the case on Friday ordered a pre-sentence investigation. Under a plea agreement submitted to the court, Branch would serve 5- to 7-years in prison. No date for sentencing has been set.
In a separate case more than a decade ago, Branch pleaded guilty in August 2010 to an amended felony charge of lewd and lascivious conduct after initially being charged with sexual assault of a victim under the age of 16, according to court documents.