Skip to content

Dundee man sentenced to 24 years to life for child sexual assault

Dundee man sentenced to 24 years to life for child sexual assault

A Dundee man already serving a 10-year prison term was sentenced Wednesday to an additional 24 years to life for predatory sexual assault against a child.

Ronald Chilson, 50, received the sentence from Judge Jason Cook in Yates County Court following his August jury conviction on the class A felony, according to District Attorney Todd Casella's account in the Finger Lakes Times.

Seneca Falls Country Club - Billboard 728x440

Casella said Cook ordered the sentence to run consecutively to the 10-year determinate term Chilson is serving after his September 2025 guilty plea to first-degree criminal sexual act.

The investigation began in May 2023 when the first victim came forward, Casella said.

Both crimes occurred in the Dundee foster home Chilson operated with his wife, Susan, according to the district attorney.

Casella said Chilson sexually abused foster children and children he had adopted, exploiting the trust placed in him to care for them.

“He abused his position of trust and power,” Casella said.

Susan Chilson was indicted in September on a charge of first-degree perjury, a class D felony, after authorities accused her of lying in court during her husband's trial.

The status of her case was unavailable as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Times.