UPDATE: Marion man sent to prison for 22 years in child rape case

A Marion, Virginia man indicted by a Smyth County grand jury last year after a child reported a sexual assault to a school official has entered an Alford plea.

Gary Dwayne Dotson, 38, was sentenced to 22 years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender following his hearing in Circuit Court.

Dotson was arrested and charged with the rape of a child under the age of 12 after an investigation was started by a school resource officer. An Alford plea means Dotson maintains his innocence while admitting there was enough evidence produced by the state to convict him if a trial occurred.

(MUGSHOT: SCSO VA)