36°
Matthew D. Walder, 38, of Ponte Vedra, pleaded guilty to the felony charges in Dutchess County Court. He is currently out of jail wearing an electronic monitoring until Oct. 3, said Kristine Whelan, bureau chief of the Special Victims Bureau at the Dutchess County District Attorney's Office.
Walder, who would fly up from Florida and rent hotel rooms in the Fishkill area to have sex, faces up to 10 years in prison, with 10 years of post-release supervision and be required to register as a sex offender, said Whelan.
"We are pleased that the defendant is being held accountable for these crimes and faces a significant prison sentence, without the necessity of the child victim having to testify at trial," Whelan said.
Walder, who met the female victim at a family event, had sexual contact with the girl October through December of 2016, state police said.
Walder was originally charged in February with 10 counts of third-degree rape.
He is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 31.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Putnam and receive free news updates.
