A Hillsboro man was sentenced to eight years in prison following his guilty plea Friday to four counts of sexual battery.

Frank West, 45, Hillsboro, appeared before Judge Rocky Coss this week in Highland County Common Pleas Court to enter his guilty plea, stemming from a four-count indictment in June on charges stating that over a three-year period, beginning in September 2012, he was a guardian and acted as a father to the underage child of his live-in girlfriend, and engaged in sexual conduct with the child.

The indictment on the third-degree felony charges states that West had been living with the woman and acting as a father to the child since 2008.

Coss sentenced the Rocky Fork area man to two years in prison on each of the four counts for a total of 96 months, with 74 days credit for time served.

In addition, West was designated a Tier III Sex Offender, which means he will have to register in-person every 90 days for the rest of his life.

Following his sentencing, he was returned to the Highland County Jail for later transport to the Corrections Reception Center in Orient.

Charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and grand theft of a motor vehicle gave a Ross County man a second chance into what is called the New Way to Recovery Drug Court Docket, the new drug court program previously described and reported in detail in The Times-Gazette by Coss.

Timothy Hiles, 49, Chillicothe, met criteria for being remanded into the drug court program and will have a three-year period of community control, which includes residential treatment and aftercare at Kent’s Place, a substance abuse and addiction recovery facility in Waverly.

A five-count charge of aggravated burglary, aggravated menacing and using weapons while intoxicated was continued in court for Russell Paugh, 48, Greenfield.

A grand jury indictment, returned on May 6, 2019, charged him with two counts of aggravated burglary in connection with a break-in at the residence of the victim, in addition to aggravated menacing for threatening bodily harm to Groves.

Two other charges in the indictment allege that Paugh was intoxicated while using a Glock model 35 .40-caliber pistol and that he used the weapon in commission of the crime.

His case was continued until 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2 in common pleas court.

Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.