MARTINSBURG, W. Va. — A Martinsburg man has been convicted on two dozen sex-related offenses and now faces more than a thousand year prison sentence.
Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Kinser tells The Panhandle News Network a Berkeley County jury found Paul Edward Ritenour, Jr., 54, of Martinsburg guilty last Thursday
12 counts of Sexual Abuse by a Parent, Guardian, or Custodian; 11 counts of Sexual Assault in the 1st Degree (child under 12), and one count of Sexual Assault in the 2nd Degree.
Ritenour now faces a maximum sentence of 355 to 1,040 years in prison followed by 50 years of supervised release.
Kinser said if he is released, Ritenour would be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Ritenour is currently still serving a 2 to 10 year prison sentence for a 2023 Berkeley County conviction for Soliciting a Minor Via a Computer.
Kinser said it was the publicity surrounding that arrest and prosecution that prompted the victims in this case to come forward and disclose that Ritenour sexually abused them as children.
Ritenour remains in custody as he awaits his sentencing June 11.
Kinser said, “Crimes against children are some of the most serious crimes we prosecute in Berkeley County and I’m glad we were able to achieve justice for these victims, now adults, who have had to live with this abuse for years.”
This case was investigated by Lieutenant F.H. Edwards of the West Virginia State Police and the case was prosecuted by Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph R. Kinser and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Megan Yates.
Kinser said he would like to specifically thank the jury for listening to the victims in this case, “who have waited far too long for justice, and for carefully weighing the evidence in arriving at their verdict.”