California man sentenced for keeping 15-year-old captive

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — One of two men charged with imprisoning a 15-year-old girl in a metal box at their Northern California marijuana farm has been sentenced to 31 years in federal prison.

Authorities say both men sexually assaulted the girl, who had run away from home. She was also required to help prepare the illicit pot for sale before she was rescued in 2013.

Ryan Patrick Balletto pleaded guilty to marijuana trafficking, firearms possession and using a minor to violate drug laws.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, but a federal judge in San Francisco on Wednesday sentenced the 36-year-old to 31 years. Prosecutors had argued for a 32-year sentence.

The second man, Patrick Pearmain, was sentenced in April to 12½ years in prison on similar charges.