An Alabama man convicted of raping a child was sentenced to life in state prison on Wednesday.

Terry Keith Nobinger, 41 of Nauvoo, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Department of Corrections. Judge Charles Elliott handed down the sentence, which is the maximum allowed by law in this case.

Nobinger was convicted by a Morgan County jury of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 on August 15. Assistant District Attorney Courtney Schellack prosecuted the case for the State.

In January of 2019, a report was made to the Falkville Police Department by a representative of the Morgan County Department of Human Resources concerning a sexual assault on a juvenile.

An 8-year-old child reported that Nobinger had subjected her to sexual contact when she was 6 years old. Falkville Police Chief Aaron Burgess investigated the case along with the Department of Human Resources.

The victim and her grandmother submitted statements to the court today, documenting the emotional impacts of the abuse. Nobinger, through his attorney, asked the court for mercy.

Nobinger had multiple prior felony convictions, and was sentenced as a habitual felony offender to the maximum sentence allowed by law.

After the sentence was pronounced, Assistant District Attorney Courtney Schellack again praised the child victim’s courage.

“This victim, and her family, had to wait a long time to see justice in this case. They never wavered. This child bravely walked into the courtroom and answered every question asked of her about the abuse she suffered. This sentence ensures that Terry Nobinger will not have the opportunity to abuse another child.”