Press Release
John Tyrrell, Wright County Prosecutor, announces the conviction and sentence of Aaron Hicks that occurred on March 24, 2020. Mr. Hicks was accused of rape in the first degree and incest. The charges were handed down by indictment from a Wright County Grand Jury. The case was investigated by Deputy Perryman from the Wright County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of Wright County Prosecuting Attorney Investigator Krisi Akers.
This case was finalized in an unusual fashion because of the virus that is affecting our community. Mr. Hicks pled guilty via video court to amended charges of rape in the second degree and incest. He received a seven-year prison term with probation denied for rape in the second degree and a four-year prison term with probation denied for incest, both counts to run concurrently. Judge Privette was assigned the case and accepted the guilty pleas via video conference from his courtroom in Howell County. The venue of the case had been changed to Howell County as well.
John Tyrrell says, “I am proud of our Sheriff’s Office in how they handled this case. I want to thank Sheriff Adler, Deputy Perryman, and Investigator Akers for their work on this case. Cases such as this are never easy for the investigators or the victim, and to achieve the outcome that we did in this case is a testament to their commitment to seek justice.” John also says, “To conduct a guilty plea and send a man to prison via video court is somewhat unusual, but it still allowed us to bring closure to this case for the victim.”