WINTON – A former high-ranking officer with the Ahoskie Police Department will serve at least 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to child sex charges.

During a session of Hertford County Superior Court on Tuesday, Andres Jorge Snape Jr. was sentenced to a minimum of 192 months and a maximum of 291 months (16-to-24 years) behind bars. Superior Court Judge Quentin T. Sumner of Rocky Mount accepted a plea, consolidated for judgment, and sentenced Snape based on nine counts of statutory rape.

Snape, now 34, was originally charged with 21 felonies (seven counts each of statutory rape, indecent liberties with a child, and statutory sexual offense) upon his arrest on Jan. 30, 2013. He was arrested and charged by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, by way of a request made by Ahoskie Police Chief Troy Fitzhugh.

Subsequent to his arrest, additional investigative work by the SBI led to more charges. Snape was ultimately indicted on 42 felony counts of statutory rape/statutory sexual offense where the defendant was at least six years older than the victim, and 16 felony counts of indecent liberties with a child.

Upon checking the Hertford County Clerk of Court records on Friday, the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald learned that the sexual acts against the then 15-year-old female occurred on at least 11 occasions between July 4, 2012 and Jan. 22, 2013. There was one period in early August 2012 where Snape and the minor engaged in sexual intercourse four times over a 10-day stretch.

Fitzhugh told the News-Herald just after Snape’s arrest that the APD was made aware of the case after a complaint was filed on Jan. 22, 2013. Fitzhugh said he contacted the SBI at that point and Snape was placed on administrative leave with pay.

Following the SBI’s probe into the case and their subsequent arrest, Snape was immediately terminated from employment. He had worked with the Ahoskie Police since 2004 and had risen to the rank of Lieutenant prior to his termination.

Jack Warmack and Assata Buffaloe represented Snape in court this week. The prosecution was handled by Nancy A. Vecchia and Adren L. Harris of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Those Special Prosecutors were assigned at the request of the local District Attorney because Snape was an Ahoskie Police Officer during the time the charges were committed.