MONROE — A Monroe man convicted of setting his former employer’s barn on fire and then sexually assaulting a witness in 2016 was sentenced last week to a cumulative six and a half years in prison.

James Leroy Sweeney, 36, is ordered to spend five years in prison and four years on extended supervision for the Class C felony conviction of arson, in addition to 18 months in prison and six months on extended supervision for the Class A misdemeanor conviction of fourth-degree sexual assault. A third-degree felony charge of sexual assault was dismissed but “read in,” meaning the judge could consider it at sentencing.

Sweeney’s codefendant in the arson, Christopher Michael Coite, 34, Monroe, has a plea and sentencing hearing Feb. 19.

Judge Thomas Vale denied Sweeney’s request, made through his lawyer, to delay the start of his incarceration by a day or two. Vale ordered Sweeney into custody directly after his sentencing Thursday, Jan. 24.

Vale acknowledged receiving more than a dozen letters of support from the community for Sweeney. But Vale said he also had to consider Sweeney’s record, which includes convictions of criminal sex abuse, theft and disorderly conduct, and his age, history of substance abuse and the consequences of the crimes.

“At age 36, you’re old enough to know better,” Vale said.

No one was hurt in the barn fire, and Sweeney and Coite reportedly let cattle out of the barn to spare the animals before it burned, but Vale said that doesn’t diminish the risk involved.

“Fact is, you didn’t know if there were human occupants (in the barn),” Vale said.

District Attorney Craig Nolen said Sweeney was upset about a former employer owing him “some backpay” and “made the decision to go all out” to take revenge on the night of the fire.

“There was significant property damage,” Nolen said.

The barn was a loss, with damages totaling more than $91,000, he noted. A restitution hearing is scheduled Feb. 22.

The former employer, who did not come to Sweeney’s sentencing, confirmed to investigators that Sweeney had at one time worked on his farm but was not owed money. He said Sweeney used drugs while working for him and “was out of it a lot.”

On the night of April 15, 2016, Sweeney picked up Coite and a woman for drinks before announcing his plan to burn down the barn in the N600 block of County HK, Town of Clarno, according to court records.

The woman, who later reported the incident to police, said they went to the farm and the two men attempted to set the barn on fire. Sweeney then dropped off Coite at his residence before returning to the barn with the woman to see if the fire had been successful.

The fire had failed to start, so Sweeney re-entered the barn to try again. This time, he was successful and the woman said she could see the barn consumed by flames as Sweeney drove away.

She said he then took her back to his Monroe residence, where he sexually assaulted her. She told police he undressed her and had sex with her without consent despite her attempts to block him. She left his residence on foot when he started snoring. Later that morning he messaged her via Facebook Messenger to say he hoped she wasn’t mad at him.

In court, Nolen read a Facebook message exchange from earlier that night between Sweeney and the woman. The exchange was joking and friendly, but the tone changed when Sweeney demanded she do something sexually suggestive. She responded with an unequivocal “No,” and when he persisted, she told him “I’m not going to do that.”

In a statement she read aloud to the court at Sweeney’s sentencing, the woman called him a “monster” and described how trauma from the assault still causes her panic attacks.

“I live my life in fear,” she said. “I have been so scared to run into him in public. ... I used to be able to walk with my head held high. Now I walk in fear.”

Her voice turned high-pitched and shaky with emotion as she read the statement. She said she was trying to move on with her life.

Teffanie Duffy, victim services coordinator for the District Attorney’s Office, read a statement to the court from the woman’s sister, who could not be at the hearing but wanted the judge to know her perspective on how the assault affected her sibling.

The assault “has made her so scared, scared to get a hug. ... It will never leave her,” the sister wrote.

The 18 letters of support submitted to the court for Sweeney praised him as a kindhearted “good guy,” hard worker, “very good neighbor” and loving father to his four children.

An employer wrote that Sweeney is a “polite young man who shows up for work and does his job.” A local restaurant owner described Sweeney as “a loyal customer” who has “also been willing to help out around the restaurant when needed,” even bussing tables, washing dishes and shoveling snow.

His girlfriend, who was in the courtroom and hugged him before he was taken into custody, wrote in her letter of support that Sweeney helped her change her life around.

“When I met James I was using drugs on a daily basis, (and) with his support I can say I have been off drugs for over two years. Living with him I see how loving he interacts with the seven children that we have between us. The youngest of the seven kids is the daughter we have together,” she wrote.

Sweeney’s defense attorney, Jason Carlos Gonzalez, read portions of a pre-sentence investigation report in which Sweeney said he was “truly sorry” for his actions and is going to “work on staying sober.” In the report, Sweeney explained that at the time of the crimes he had just lost his wife of nine years.

When given a chance to address the court, Sweeney declined, saying Gonzalez’s statements on his behalf “did a good job of it.”