WAPAKONETA — A former percussion instructor has changed his plea in several sexual battery charges after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Broc Hottle, 27, had plead not guilty to 34 counts of sexual battery related to incidents that took place between 2012 and 2013. However, on Friday at Auglaize County Common Pleas Court, Hottle and his attorney, Andrew Pratt, rescinded that plea to instead plead guilty to five counts of sexual battery, with the other 29 counts dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove, a retired judge from Summit County, reminded Hottle that each count carries with it possible prison sentences between nine months and five years, with those sentences to be served concurrently or consecutively at the court’s discretion. Each count can also carry a potential fine of up to $10,000.
As part of the plea agreement, Auglaize County Prosecutor Edwin Pierce recommended a sentence of 15 years total, with three counts to be served concurrently followed by each of the remaining two. Hottle would then be subject to five years of post-release control and would be classified a tier 3 sex offender for the rest of his life.
Cosgrove ordered a pre-sentence investigation, including a victim impact statement. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Oct. 4.
Hottle had been Wapakoneta schools show choir band director for 2008 to 2010 and in the 2011 and 2012 school years. He had also been a percussion instructor for the marching band from 2008 until his termination in 2016.
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