RHEA COUNTY — A Rhea County man has plead guilty to one count of incest after initially being indicted for several sexual assault offenses, according to Rhea County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Rocky Potter.
Kenneth Shipman, 43, entered the plea in late July, Potter said, and will now serve four to six years in state prison.
Potter said that the investigation into Shipman began in December 2022 after a child under the age of 12 disclosed the sexual assault, and the investigation began.
“(The child) was forensically interviewed, and she gave good, clear disclosure about the assault,” Potter said. “We also received corroborating statements from people (the child) told about the assault.”
Potter said that soon after the investigation began and indictments were handed down, Shipman fled the county; however, Potter said he was eventually apprehended and charged with violation of probation and several sexual assault charges related to the case.
Incest is a Class C felony in the State of Tennessee, and Potter said that once released, Shipman will be on the lifetime sex offender registry. He has since been transferred from the Rhea County Jail to the state prison system as of press time Friday.
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