Mercer County, Pa. - A Mercer County man has been sentenced after having his motion to withdraw his guilty plea denied.

Charles Edward Byrne III, 51, entered a "no contest" plea on January 13 to one count of rape of a child, a first-degree felony. A "no contest" plea, while not an admission of guilt, is treated as such for sentencing.

After the judge denied his plea withdrawal request, Byrne was found to be a sexually violent predator and was sentenced to 8 to 25 years in prison, according to District Attorney Peter Acker.

Byrne was arrested in July 2024 for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl in exchange for buying her vape products.

Police said the incident came to light in June last year when the victim was caught with vape products. When asked where she got them from, she told her parents that they came from Byrne, who had been raping her and giving them to her in return.

When officers spoke with the victim, she said the conduct had been happening for about a year and took place inside Byrne's shed and home, adding that the acts would happen two to four times per week.

Police said Byrne denied the rape but eventually told them that he had intercourse with the victim.