A two-time Ohio County sex offender has been released for time served after being convicted of sexually abusing a child multiple times.
Ohio County Sheriff Tracy Beatty said that in December 2021, 46-year-old Steven Hearld pled guilty to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. Beatty said Hearld “has since been released from custody and credited with time served.” He had been in jail only since July of last year.
The investigation into Hearld began in January 2020 when detectives with the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office began an inquiry into the alleged sexual abuse of a victim younger than 12-years-old. The investigation revealed that Hearld had sexually abused the juvenile multiple times in late 2019, Beatty said.
An Ohio County Grand Jury indicted Hearld on the charges in June 2021. He was arrested in July 2021 and lodged in the Ohio County Detention Center on three counts of first-degree sexual abuse (victim under the age of 12) and being a persistent felony offender.
He was previously convicted of sexual abuse in 2005, Beatty said, and is on the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
