Ex-girlfriend reacts to sentencing in case of rape, abduction of 15-year-old

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CAMPBELL COUNTY (WSLS 10) - A Campbell County man was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to felony carnal knowledge of a minor.

Jonathan Craft was indicted by a grand jury in January on three charges of rape and abduction. It was revealed in court Thursday, Craft's victim was 15 at the time.

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Thursday, Craft plead guilty to carnal knowledge of a minor and sentenced to five years, with four years and four months suspended. Since Craft already spent eight months in jail, the sentence amounted to time served.

Meanwhile, Craft's ex-girlfriend, Katie Crank, maintains his innocence. She and Craft's family were in the courtroom Thursday during the sentencing. The victim's family was present, as well.

"It bothers me because he's plead to something there is no evidence against him and I know where he's coming from though, cause he wants to be home and wants to be with his family. He wants to be with his daughter," Crank explained. She and Craft have a daughter together.

Craft's sister became emotional and had to be escorted out after crying out "he didn't do it!" several times.

Craft was also given two years probation and was ordered to have no contact with victim's family. He will have to register as a sex offender.

The commonwealth's attorney said the plea deal was prosecution's best option because taking Craft's case to trial would have been difficult. There was no physical evidence in the case.

You may remember Craft from a December 2014 case, where he was sentenced to two months in jail after he raised money in honor of his murdered daughter, but never donated it. He owed the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Central Virginia $1,300 in restitution.