A Mt. Pleasant man was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in a state prison Thursday in connection with repeated sexual abuse of a teen.
Joshua Jacob Tamblyn, 41, was convicted in July of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a child less than 16, four counts of indecent assault and one charge each of child endangerment and corruption of a minor.
The involuntary deviate sexual intercourse charge carried a mandatory 10-year sentence, said Assistant District Attorney Jackie Knupp.
Judge Scott Mears said even though he was required to impose the mandatory sentence, he thought it was appropriate based on the accuser’s testimony at trial.
“I felt the victim was extremely courageous for coming in here and testifying,” he said, adding that the accuser will have to deal with the psychological impact for the rest of their life.
The accuser, now a young adult, told jurors that as a child they did not understand the implications of the sexual abuse they endured and finally told someone about it in January 2023. Tamblyn sexually assaulted the child between 20 to 25 times, according to trial testimony.
Mears dismissed one felony charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse against a child at the conclusion of the trial, ruling prosecutors didn’t prove the accuser was younger than 13 during the assaults.
Tamblyn didn’t say anything to the judge before sentencing.
Defense attorney Eric Dee argued the constitutionality of the mandatory sentence and questioned if he was provided appropriate notice that prosecutors intended to seek it. He indicated he planned to address the issues in post-sentence motions.
Knupp provided the judge with a March 2025 letter to Dee that showed prosecutors intended to seek the mandatory sentence upon conviction.
“Notice is notice,” she said.
Tamblyn was arrested in 2023. He had been free on recognizance bond until the conviction when Mears revoked that arrangement. Tamblyn was given 190 days credit. He will have to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.