A Kingston man convicted of first-degree sex abuse in connection with the March rape of an 8-year-old was sentenced in Ulster County Court to a seven-year stretch in state prison on Wednesday.

Carlos Butz-Paau, 24, will also have to undergo 10 years of post-release supervision and will be placed in the state Sex Offender Registry. He had previously pleaded guilty to the felony charge in May.

According to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, beginning in December 2021, Butz-Paau, who was living with the victim’s family, began inappropriately touching the child. The abuse was discovered on March 21 of this year, according to the DA’s Office. The victim missed the school bus that day and Butz-Paau proceeded to forcibly engage in sex acts with the child, including intercourse. The victim’s mother noticed marks on the child’s body while changing into pajamas later that evening; the child then disclosed the abuse. The KPD was called immediately; Butz-Paau was arrested and sent to Ulster County Jail with bail set at $100,000. No one posted his bail, so he stayed in jail until his conviction and sentencing.

“Carlos Butz-Paau’s conduct is the nightmare of any parent,” said Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Culmone-Mills in a press release. “Today’s sentencing illustrates that our office will continue to use every tool available to law enforcement to prosecute and punish those who sexually exploit children."

Meanwhile, Ulster County DA Dave Clegg said overcrowded housing conditions played a part in the crime. “Unfortunately, this case is part of a spate of cases in which children who reside in crowded housing conditions, especially in our recent immigrant community, have been sexually assaulted and harmed,” Clegg said in a press release. “The dire lack of affordable housing in the county leaves many with no choice but to live in houses shared by multiple families and strangers, with minimal to no security measures in place. While my office will continue to do everything in our power to prosecute sexual predators, this is a stark example of the unacceptable cost of the housing crisis on our community’s most vulnerable.”

Culmone-Mills handled the prosecution of this case. Butz-Paau is being represented by Joey Drillings of the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office.