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PHILIPPI -- A man was sentenced in Barbour County to more than 20 years in prison after being found guilty of multiple offenses, including sexual assault.
Abdeahmed Gahlan, 26, had previously entered guilty pleas to the charges, and was sentenced on Nov. 7 in Barbour County Circuit Court by Circuit Judge Shawn D. Nines.
For the offense of soliciting a minor via computer and traveling to engage the minor in prohibited sexual activity, Gahlan was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
For the offense of sexual assault in the third degree, Gahlan was sentenced to one to five years in prison; and he was sentenced to two to 10 years in prison for the offense of soliciting a minor via computer.
Gahlan was sentenced to one year in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail for the offense of violation of a domestic violence protective order; and to six months in TVRJ for the offense of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol.
All sentences were to be served consecutively to each other. In addition, Gahlan has previously been ordered to register as a sexual offender for the remainder of his lifetime. He was ordered to be subject to 25 years of sexual offender extended supervision after completion of his prison sentence.
Barbour County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Lynn Phillips appeared on behalf of the state. Gahlan was present for the sentencing, and was represented by attorney Tom Dyer.
The court ordered a pre-sentence investigation to be completed prior to sentencing.
On Feb. 19, 2023, Gahlan was arrested for DUI in a vehicle with New York license plates, police said. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of approximately 2.3 grams of presumed marijuana in a bag labeled "BackPackBoyz," and of $1,332 in cash.
Two days later, during a Child Advocacy Center interview in Harrison County, a child younger than 16 disclosed a sexual relationship with Gahlan, police said. The crimes happened in Barbour County in November 2022 and February 2023, officials said.