Ontario child molester sentenced to 22 years

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- An Ontario man who confessed last year to molesting eight young girls over a 12-year span was sentenced today to 22 years in state prison.

Jack Edward Andrews, 59, admitted in an interview with police last year that he molested girls who lived in his Mountain Avenue apartment complex, as well as friends of his young daughter.

Prior to Andrews' sentencing in West Valley Superior Court, one of his victims read a statement in court. The 22-year-old woman said Andrews molested her when she was 7 or 8.

"Hopefully it will eat at you little by little until you can't stand it anymore," she said. "I am glad you are going to prison and thank God that you are one less sick man in this world, and won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."

Andrews pleaded no contest to eight felonies in March as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors that carried a 22-year sentence.

After entering into the agreement, Andrews tried to have the deal nullified. He said the sentence was too long, and claimed he was poorly represented by the attorney who negotiated his plea bargain.

A request to have the agreement set aside was rejected this month by Judge Jon D. Ferguson.

In an interview with a San Bernardino County probation officer, Andrews admitted he was guilty and said he "did not like what he was doing," according to a pre-sentencing report written by a probation officer.

"He is glad he was caught because now he has been stopped," the officer wrote.

Several of Andrews' relatives sent letters to Ferguson prior to sentencing pleading with the judge for leniency.

Andrews' wife, Debbie Andrews, said: "To me, punishing him to almost a lifetime behind bars is a sentence that doesn't match the crime."

She said her husband is remorseful and remains well-loved by his family.

"He is a good man, constantly offering his assistance at church work day, to friends and neighbors that need help, and performing painting projects or splitting wood at his dad's house in Big Bear," Debbie Andrews wrote.

Rhonda Scheuplein, one of Andrews' sisters, said 12 years would be an appropriate sentence for her brother.

"Twenty-two years is almost unthinkable," she wrote. "I believe the people who live in the legal world forget about the individual person and lose sight of (the) difference between someone who is a career, repeat offender and someone who is troubled and needs help."

Andrew had no criminal record prior to his molestation case.

Before his arrest, Andrews worked as a painter for the Chino Valley Unified School District. According to police, none of his victims were connected to the district.