OWENSBORO, Ky. — A Lincoln County man charged federally and locally with kidnapping a 13-year-old Daviess County girl from her Friendly Village home and taking her to Wisconsin in 2009 was found guilty by a jury late Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Owensboro.
A case manager with the court said the jury deliberated about an hour and 10 minutes before returning with its decision at 5:30 p.m.
Archie Whalen of Bristol, Maine, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 19 by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph McKinley Jr., who presided over the trial. After the verdict, Whalen was remanded into custody to await sentencing.
Whalen, 43 at the time of his arrest, could face up to life in federal prison for transporting a minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity. The minimum sentence is 10 years in federal prison, though that could be bumped up to 20 years because he has a prior sex offense conviction.
Whalen was indicted in federal court in Bowling Green, Ky., in October of 2009. The girl disappeared Sept. 26, 2009, triggering a nationwide Amber Alert. Police say they caught up with her and Whalen as he was pulling into a hotel parking lot in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., early the next day.
The girl, 13 at the time, was taken from her home by Whalen, a convicted sex offender, police said. He had traveled from Maine to abduct her, officers said.
According to the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department, Whalen and the girl’s family were acquainted in Maine, and the family had just moved back to Daviess County.
Whalen was arrested without incident in Wisconsin, police said. The girl was taken to a hospital for routine examination, but there were no signs of physical abuse, an officer with Daviess County Sheriff’s Department said.
Whalen’s past criminal history includes convictions for first-degree rape, burglary, second-degree assault and sexual contact with a minor.
© 2012 the Messenger-Inquirer
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Life in prison is the only option. He cannot be given another chance to do this again.
I’m confused, the beginning of this story has this man from Hancock County, then it goes on to say he’s from Bristol…that’s in Lincoln County so which is it BDN??
Maybe they moved it for the day. lol
They’re talking Hancock County, Ky.
Got it, thanks!
He was from Hancock County Maine originally..
After they slap him on the wrist, they’ll probably send him to Bangor, the sex offender capital of Maine, which has rooming houses that cater to sex offenders.
convicted of rape already once before? Why is he out on the streets to prey on children? Oh ya…its our joke of a justice system. Got it.