David Tillotson
A 59-year-old former Johnson Lane man who had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl he met online was taken into custody on Monday to begin serving an up to five-year prison sentence.
David Neal Tillotson was ordered to pay $177,448.81 to the girl’s family for therapy, in addition to the 19-60-month sentence for child abuse by sexual exploitation.
Attorney Brian Filter said Tillotson and the girl met on an adult web site and that she never said how old she was.
According to court documents the girl said she was 16 after the couple were pulled over by an NHP trooper on July 27, 2021.
Filter said Tillotson continued to meet with the girl, but that they ceased having sex after he found out her age.
District Judge Tom Gregory described the fact that Tillotson kept seeing the girl after learning her age was “alarming.”
“He was leading a sad, lonely life,” Filter said of his client. “He genuinely cared for her.”
Tillotson said he made horribly poor choices and asked for an opportunity to make it right.
“This will never happen again,” he said.
Prosecutor Chelsea Mazza pointed out that Tillotson continued to see the girl and even planned to propose to her after he knew her true age.
“A completely life-altering experience happened to this family,” Mazza said.
Mazza argued Tillotson should have known there was an issue after he lied to the family, claiming to be the father of one of the girl’s friends on one occasion. She said after he found out how old she was he kept pictures of the girl tied up.
“He absolutely knew what he was doing,” she said.
Tillotson, who suffered two strokes, used a walker both to enter the courtroom and back to the jail after he was remanded into custody.
