Chattanooga man sentenced to 27 years in child rapes

Friday, March 7, 2014

photo Paul N. Feilen

A 39-year-old Chattanooga man has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 27 years for the repeated rape of a child.

Paul N. Feilen was arrested in January 2010 on charges that he'd repeatedly raped a girl from the time she was in elementary school until she had reached middle school, a period of six years.

Feilen had faced an April 29 trial on two counts of child rape and four counts of rape but agreed to plead guilty to one count of each recently, said prosecutor Leslie Longshore.

Sex crime victims are not identified, in accordance with Times Free Press policy.

As part of the plea, Feilen was sentenced to 15 years for the child rape charge and 12 years on one rape charge. The two sentences will run consecutive, meaning a 27-year total sentence.

Longshore said she's spoken with the victim's family about the plea and they wanted to move forward and end the ordeal whether through a plea or trial.

Feilen has been in custody since his 2010 arrest.

For more see tomorrow's Times Free Press.