15-year sentence pronounced after attack in laundromat

A 40-year old man admitted guilt in the General Sessions Court and was sentenced for an attack this year on a Walhalla laundromat customer.  The incident March 12 sparked a manhunt that ended with the arrest of Ralph Goss in Westminster.  This morning Goss entered a guilty plea to assault and battery with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct first degree.  Deputy Solicitor Jason Alderman said Goss used a knife in the attack which the laundromat customer was able to flee by slipping out of her hoodie, which left Goss holding the clothing item as she ran for safety.  Judge Cordell Maddox handed down the following sentence:  30 years, suspended to 15, with credit for 276 days spent in jail prior to today.  Alderman recited Goss’s criminal background stretching over several years that included burglary, trespassing, vehicle theft, drug violations, and a case of obliterating or desecrating burial grounds.  Goss told the judge, “I made a bad decision.  I’m begging for help.”  As part of the sentence, help will be available.  The judge specified that while in prison Goss is to receive mental health counseling and enroll in an alcohol and tobacco help program.