SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A former youth boxing coach will serve up to eight years in prison for sexually assaulting two teen boys.
Robert Hersey was sentenced on Wednesday in Hampden Superior Court. Prosecutors said Hersey sexually assaulted multiple young men in separate instances between June and September of 2018. He was indicted in December of that year.
Throughout his trial, he repeatedly denied all allegations. Following his prison term, Hersey will be on probation for five years and must register as a sex offender.
According to Springfield Police Department spokesman Ryan Walsh, Robert Hersey was accused of sexually assaulting two minors in 2018. He was arrested Friday, September 28, 2018, on charges including two counts of rape, assault with the intent to rape, open and gross lewdness, and two counts of disseminating obscene material to a minor in connection with incidents involving juveniles.
The former boxing instructor was accused of assaulting the boys in separate instances in June and September. Hersey was indicted in December of that year. He entered a plea of not guilty on Monday, January 28, 2019.