Pocono News Section

Woman sentenced for child rape

Woman sentenced for child rape - Friday, July 10, 2009 at 6:11PM EST

Friday, Jul 10, 2009 @ 06:11pm EST

It's four to eight years in prison for a woman who pleaded guilty to raping a child.

Tracy Vasholz of Wanamie was sentenced in Luzerene County court this afternoon.

Vasholz raped her second cousin over the course of 11 years.

The victim’s mother was in the courtroom and she talked with us after the sentencing

Vasholz pled guilty for repeatedly sexually assaulting her second cousin.

The assaults happened when the victim was ages 5 through 16 years old.

We won't show the victims mother but she agreed to talk to us after the sentencing.

"I think that there's no justice that can be served for taking the innocence of a child, especially my child," said the victim’s mother.

The victim’s mother says she trusted Vasholz because she was her cousin.

Vasholz often was a babysitter for the victim and even lived with the family.

Police say Vasholz smoked marijuana with the victim before the sexual assaults.

That was when the victim was a teenager.

The victim's mother says this sentencing will help her family move on.

She said, "All we can do right now is put it behind us and move on we're more than ready to put this behind us. This is indpendence day. "

When Vasholz gets out of prison, she will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.