Former Brookline Fire Chief Larry McConnell was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a teenage girl.

McConnell, 70, was sentenced to the prison time after a hearing in front of Judge Calvin Holden.

It was Holden who found McConnell guilty of three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and one count of second-degree rape following a bench trial in October.

The evidence at trial is that McConnell would perform sex acts on the teen on Wednesday nights when his wife was at church.

The victim also said that once she turned 17, McConnell raped her after she told him "no."

Prosecutors say McConnell groomed the victim, a volunteer fire cadet, prior to the sexual abuse. They say he abused his position of power as the fire chief.

Assistant Greene County Prosecutor Sarah Donelan said the victim in this case contemplated suicide after she was abused, but through counseling, she is learning to deal with the trauma.

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"The effects of what Larry's done will never leave her," Donelan told the judge.

Donelan asked for a sentence of 7 years in prison, while McConnell's attorney asked for a sentence closer to probation, saying that McConnell has health problems and he scored well on evaluations designed to determine a person's likelihood to commit the same type of crime again.

Ultimately, Judge Holden went with a sentence harsher than what prosecutors had recommended. Holden explained that he viewed McConnell's statutory sodomy convictions as separate from the rape conviction, so it would be appropriate to sentence McConnell to consecutive 5-year prison sentences.

McConnell's attorney indicated they plan to appeal the convictions.

More:Man charged with forcibly raping a child in Greene County

News-Leader records show McConnell has been involved at the Brookline Fire Protection District since at least 1998, when he was described as a board member and a former fire chief. McConnell again became chief in 1999, and it appears he held that position until some point after charges were filed. The department's web page on FireDepartment.net lists Ken Wilson as fire chief.

In court Friday, Donelan said McConnell stepped down as fire chief after the court ordered him to do so following his conviction, but he has not resigned from the board.