Man accused of chaining woman sentenced to 6 years in prison

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado man accused of keeping a woman chained in his basement over the course of several months has been sentenced to six years in prison and three years of parole in exchange for his guilty plea.

The Grand Junction Sentinel reports that Claude Lee Wilkerson was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to false imprisonment and second-degree assault.

He was arrested in February 2016 on suspicion of holding a woman as a sex slave for months.

Mesa County prosecutor David Waite said the case became “less and less sensational” as prosecutors failed to get collaborating statements from the victim and as other evidence did not materialize.

Wilkerson already has served 765 days in Mesa County Jail.

___

Information from: The Daily Sentinel, http://www.gjsentinel.com