Earlier this year, a jury found mechanic Aaron M. Schapers of Pierce City, Missouri, guilty of sexually assaulting a female truck driver inside the cab of her vehicle.
On Monday, the judge ordered Schapers to serve the maximum sentence — two consecutive seven year jail terms, totaling 14 years behind bars.
According to the Joplin Globe, the 38-year-old victim had some work done on her semi truck at a business in Carthage, where Schapers was employed.
The following day, when the victim was sleeping inside her cab at a local business, Schapers entered her rig with a copy of the key that he took from the shop, and sexually assaulted the female driver.
After a two day trial, he was found guilty of second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy.
The victim told the court that she hopes Schapers will have to “think about what he did, every day” of his sentence. “I have been brought down to my knees. I am broken,” she added.
The defendant apologized in court, but maintained his innocence. He insisted that the sexual encounter was consensual, and that the victim agreed to meet him in her truck.
Schapers, who was married at the time of the incident, says the “horrible decision” cost him his marriage, his home, and his freedom.
One key piece of evidence that shaped the juries decision, was the discrepancies in his testimony. Schapers initially told the court that the victim let him in her truck, but later admitted to letting himself in with a copy of the key.
Schapers apologized to his victim asked the judge for a lighter sentence, suggesting 120 days in jail followed by probation. His request was denied, and he was ordered to serve the maximum jail sentence for the charges.