Wilmington man sentenced for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in Highland County

A Wilmington man was sentenced to five years of community control recently after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in Highland County.

Anthony Burns, 20, of Wilmington was indicted in June and charged with three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, all fourth-degree felonies.

The indictment accused Burns of “engaging in sexual conduct” with a minor under the age of 16 during an approximate three-month period in 2023. Each count in the indictment was for a different alleged one-month time span.

According to court records, Burns pleaded guilty Sept. 10 to the first two charges, with the third count in the indictment dismissed.

During a hearing Oct. 23, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Burns to five years of community control and ordered Burns to be evaluated for the STAR program. Burns was ordered to successfully complete substance use disorder treatment and aftercare.

In addition, Burns will be classified as a Tier II registered sex offender, which requires registration every 180 days for 25 years.

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