A former Bethany College professor accused of sex crimes against children has entered Alford pleas Monday in Belmont County.

By entering an Alford plea – sometimes called pleading no-contest -- for two counts of sexual battery charges, Richard Rushton, 63, does not admit guilt but concedes that there is enough evidence against him to find him guilty.

"They're both felonies of the second degree, which means he faces a maximum sentence of eight years for each count,” said Chris Berhalter, the county prosecutor. "He'll also be labeled as a tier-three sex offender. What that means is he will have to register every 90 days for the rest of his life."

Rushton, who is in the Belmont County Jail, originally had five counts of sex crimes against him, but Berhalter said there was trouble with how they got the evidence, since the investigation started in another county.

"While that did not change our belief that this defendant was culpable of every one of these crimes, it reduced our ability to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on some of them," said Berhalter.

Rushton was arraigned in November 2011 after he ran and left the country.

"At the time the grand jury issued an indictment in this case, Mr. Rushton had fled the United States and was residing in Italy. However, with the assistance of the FBI and the Department of Justice, he was able to be found and brought back here to Belmont County to answer for these charges," said Berhalter.

Berhalter said the case is moving forward after Rushton spent nearly a year in Italy following the filing of charges back in 2010.

Rushton will appear in court again for his sentencing Nov. 19.

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