BANGOR — An Orono man charged with sexually abusing several young boys over a period of years has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

WABI-TV reports that Wyatt Higgins-Tripp was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to 15 of the 135 counts he had been indicted on, as part of a plea deal that prosecutors say spares the victims from going through the trauma of a trial.

Authorities say the 40-year-old Higgins-Tripp sexually assaulted the boys, at least one of whom was younger than 12, between 2004 and 2012.

The judge had rejected a previous plea deal in August that would have brought a 10-year sentence, saying that was too short.

Higgins-Tripp was also sentenced to 25 years’ probation upon release.

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