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A woman convicted of several child related sex crimes has been sentenced to four to six years in prison.
Amy Branch, 38, was sentenced on Thursday after being convicted of three counts of Solicitation to Commit a Sexual Offense with a Child. Her sentence will run concurrent with an existing sentence she received in Davie County in 2017.
That sentence is set to expire in January 2020.
Branch is the co-defendant in the case involving Jamie Merritt. Officials say the pair used Benadryl to drug a then 10-year-old girl and touch her inappropriately in 2010.
Merritt, who also admitted to performing oral sex with the child, was sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison in January following his conviction.
Officials say Merritt reported the activity to Claremont investigators in 2015. Branch later admitted to her involvement.
Original Story (Jan. 15, 2019):
CATAWBA COUNTY, NC — A 37-year-old man from Tobaccoville, North Carolina will spend the next 20 to 25 years in prison after being convicted of several child sex related crimes.
Jamie Merritt was sentenced Tuesday in Catawba County Superior Court after pleading guilty to three counts of First Degree Statutory Sex Offense. Court officials say Merritt’s sentence will run concurrent to a 12-year prison term already being served for a similar 2016 conviction in Davie County.
In September 2010, Merritt and a female co-defendant reportedly drugged a then 10-year-old girl with Benadryl before touching her inappropriately. Merritt also confessed to performing oral sex with child.
The Claremont Police Department was alerted to the crimes in 2015 and began their investigation.
Officials say the co-defendant’s case is currently pending.
