Beach Assault Plea Nets 6-Year Sentence

SNOW HILL -- A West Virginia man arrested on attempted first-degree rape and other serious charges in June after attacking a woman on a north-end Ocean City beach early in the morning pleaded guilty this week in Worcester County Circuit Court to first-degree assault and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, all but six of which were suspended.

Chance Daniel Bucy, 21, of Falling Waters, W.Va., appeared in Worcester County Circuit Court on Wednesday to face trial on numerous charges including attempted first-degree rape stemming from the June 14 incident. Bucy pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and was sentenced to 15 years in jail, nine of which was suspended, resulting in a six-year net sentence.

Bucy was also placed on supervised probation for five years upon his release. As a result of the plea agreement, several other charges, including attempted first- and second-degree rape, a third- and fourth-degree sex offense, second-degree assault, false imprisonment and reckless endangerment were not prosecuted.

Around 2:15 a.m. on June 14, Ocean City Police were dispatched to the area of 134th Street and the beach to assist a citizen who was screaming for help. OCPD officers located the victim, who told police an unknown male, later identified as Bucy, had assaulted her. The victim told police she was walking back to her hotel alone in the 130th Street area after getting separated from her friends when she first encountered Bucy.

Bucy allegedly told the victim he was a local who lived in the area and that he knew a couple of short cuts that could get her back to her hotel. The victim told police Bucy was walking a distance behind her before coming up from behind, placing his hand over her mouth and forcing her to the ground. The victim attempted to shout for help, but Bucy continued to cover her mouth.

After a woman responded to the victim’s cries for help, Bucy fled the area on foot. A description of Bucy was broadcast through Ocean City Police Communications and he was located a short time later in the area of 123rd Street. At the time, Bucy admitted hitting the victim several times and shoving her head into the sand, according to police reports.