DC Man Pleads Guilty To Sexual Abuse Of Girl At Museum Of Natural History

WASHINGTON, DC — A Washington DC man pled guilty to a felony charge of second-degree child sexual abuse for sexually accosting a girl who was on a school trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia reports.

Devon Foote, 35, was arrested April 4 after he allegedly touched seven girls, ages 13 and 14, on the buttocks while they were visiting the museum, prosecutors said.

A volunteer at the insect exhibit allegedly saw Foote leering at a group of teenage girls from a few feet away.

He then approached the girls, took several pictures and touched a 14-year-old girl on the buttocks with his hand and held her hair, according to facts submitted at the plea hearing.

See Related: Man Arrested For Inappropriately Touching Teens In Museum of Natural History

Foote walked away from the scene, but was identified shortly afterward outside the museum and arrested. He has been in custody ever since.

In his guilty plea, Foote admitted that he acted voluntarily and on purpose.

A second-degree child sex abuse charge carries a maximum of five years in prison. The plea calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 18 months, and Foote will have to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 15.

Photo: Museum of Natural History, Peter Schultz/Flickr