On June 22nd of last year, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office issued a media release saying they had re-opened a sexual assault investigation and as a result, Kenneth Dean Harper, age 54 was arrested the day before and charged with 118 counts of alleging Child Molestation in the 1st Degree, Statutory Sodomy in the 1st Degree and 1st Degree Statutory Rape. Nearly one year later after a two day jury trial at the Linn County Courthouse, a Linn County Jury returned guilty verdicts on 19 counts against Kenneth Dean Harper including 2 counts of Child Molestation in the 1st Degree, 8 counts of Statutory Sodomy in the 1st Degree and 9 counts of Statutory Rape in the 1st Degree. Sentencing was also held on 5 of those counts with the remaining 14 counts to be handed down on August 2nd of this year. On the sentences handed down which included 3 counts of 1st Degree Statutory Rape and 2 counts of 1st Degree Statutory Sodomy, Harper received a life sentence on each count in the Department of Corrections according to the Linn County Prosecuting Attorney’s office.