Conover Teen Gets Five To Ten Years In Rape Case

A Conover teenager will serve an active prison sentence of five to ten years for sexual offenses involving a minor female victim. The defendant entered a guilty plea during Catawba County Superior Court on Monday (February 3).

18-year-old Cyle Vernon Sidney was given the prison term by the Honorable Donald R. Cureton, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, after he entered a guilty plea to second-degree forcible rape. The offenses occurred while the defendant was a juvenile, but the cases were transferred to Superior Court for prosecution.

Sidney also was given a suspended sentence of 16 to 29 months with 36 months of probation after pleading guilty to incest. If activated, that sentence will run at the conclusion of the first active sentence. In addition, Sidney was ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of 30 years, receive sex offender treatment and to never have contact with the victim.

The offenses occurred between April 2023 and October 2023 when the defendant was 16 years old and the victim was 15. One of the sexual assaults occurred in the home of the legal guardian, and the other took place in a swimming pool.

Sidney admitted what he had done during an interview with law enforcement. The victim’s claims also were substantiated by a forensic interview conducted at the Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County.

Robert Backman was the lead investigator for the Conover Police Department. The Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County provided assistance. Assistant District Attorney Jessica Phillips prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Dea Crowe.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY