ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A convicted sex offender who filmed himself sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl was sentenced last week to 80 years in prison.

Arapahoe County District Court Judge Darren Vahle sentenced Erik McDaugale, 31, of Aurora to 80 years in the Department of Corrections. McDaugale, who had prior child sex assault convictions, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation of a child on Oct. 23, 2020. Other counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

In the spring of 2019, the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Aurora police traced child pornography videos and images back to McDaugale, who was living in the basement of an acquaintance. There was an active arrest warrant for McDaugale for failing to register as a sex offender. He had been sexually assaulting a child in the home and sharing videos and photos of the assaults online.

“This is conduct of the most appalling and egregious nature. This defendant repeatedly sexually abused a 5-year-old girl, grooming her for this purpose. He recorded this sexual abuse so he could relive it again and again and again – and he shared this with others who shared his perversion to sexually abuse children,” said Deputy District Attorney James Bornhoft, who prosecuted the case, in a statement. “There is no sentence harsh enough for any of these actions in singularity, much less for all of these actions taken together. All I can say is this plea agreement will make sure that this defendant doesn’t step foot in society again.”