Nathanial Shane Lewis, 44, of Buncombe County, will serve 190 to 288 months in prison. Senior Resident Court Judge Bradley B. Letts also ordered Lewis be placed on three years of supervised probation when released.

“After a long and difficult year with the pandemic, jury trials have resumed, and my office has prioritized our older and more serious cases,” said Welch. 

With a jury available for the resumption of trials, Lewis entered the plea: He’ll spend at least 15 years and 10 months, and as much as 24 years, in prison. 

In open court, Lewis admitted he had inappropriately touched and molested a minor child on four separate occasions, during the second half of 2016. 

“Children are among our most vulnerable,” Welch continued. “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute crimes against children in the 43rd Prosecutorial District.”

Assistant district attorneys Jeff Jones and Kate Robinette prosecuted the case.