Richard Talbert, 24, sits in Judge Martin Stone’s Coos County courtroom Monday morning. Talbert was sentenced to 25 years in prison on first-degree unlawful sexual penetration World Photo by Madeline Steege

COQUILLE - Richard G. Talbert shared no words of remorse at the Coos County Courthouse on Monday — not for the child he sexually abused or her family members who cried in the back of Judge Martin Stone’s courtroom.

Instead, the 24-year-old North Bend man stood in silence as District Attorney R. Paul Frasier read a biting letter from the family moments before Stone condemned him to 25 years at an Oregon penitentiary. A former friend of the family, Talbert pleaded guilty to first-degree unlawful sexual penetration on Nov. 21.

Arms and legs shackled, the heavy-set man in glasses and a blue Coos County jail jumpsuit hunched his shoulders as the family’s victim statement, read aloud by Frasier, labeled him a monster.

“You took her innocence from her. You took her security from her in her own home and in the worst way,” Frasier read. “Our daughter will never be the same.

“There is no punishment severe enough for what you have done. Nothing the courts can do to you can even begin to compare to what you have done to our child. Our only solace is that you will never have another chance to destroy another child’s life.”

Because the crime involved a child under the age of 12, Stone sentenced Talbert according to Jessica’s Law, which requires a mandatory 25-year minimum sentence. He will be ineligible for parole.

Following his stint in prison, Talbert will undergo post-prison supervision, he must register as a sex offender and will be required to report his whereabouts for the rest of his life. Additionally, he is not allowed to contact the girl or her immediate family.

Jessica’s Law was signed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski in April 2006 for adults convicted of raping, sodomizing or sexually penetrating a child under 12 years of age. It originally was created in Florida and named for Jessica Lunsford, a Florida girl who was raped and murdered in 2005 by a convicted sex offender.

Public defender John Meynink, who defended Talbert with attorney Allen Goldman, said the man also is a victim of abuse and has indicated that he’d like to receive treatment.

“This is a case where there are no winners,” Meynink said.

He noted that the defendant took responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty and confessing to Detective Milo Arnesen of the North Bend Police Department.

“The judge didn’t have any discretion for that plea. That’s the sentence that has to be imposed,” Meynink said.

North Bend police officers arrested Talbert on July 14 on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and first-degree sexual abuse. However, Frasier pursued only the sexual penetration charge, which Talbert agreed to in a plea bargain, because it would get him the 25-year sentence without the child having to testify in court. He explained that the defense would have been unlikely to accept a longer sentence without going to trial. He added that the girl had been abused for about 12 to 18 months.

“We knew one count would mean 25 years and he would have to serve every day,” Frasier said. “I think it’s a good resolution. It’s a very sad case because obviously this little girl was victimized.”

The DA expects Talbert to be transported to an intake center in Wilsonville later this week, where he will be assigned to a prison somewhere in the state. Talbert will remain at the Coos County jail in the meantime.

After the hearing a family member said it was a very emotional experience for the family, but they are relieved that the court process is over and that Talbert got his due.

“We are looking forward to her and the entire family moving on from here,” she said.

For the sake of the victim and her family, we have suspended comments on this story.