A Pullman music store owner was sentenced Friday to life in prison for molesting an 11-year-old girl last summer.

Victor Hudak, the 52-year-old owner of Atom Heart Music, will be eligible for parole after 5 years, 8 months, according to the Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office.

If released from prison, Hudak must register as a sex offender for life and will be on lifetime supervision with the Department of Corrections.

The conviction stemmed from July 24, when the 11-year-old girl and her 6-year-old sister were swimming in a creek near the City Playfield in Pullman, the prosecutor’s office said. The girls saw Hudak above them on the bridge before he went below the bridge and contacted them. When he approached, the 11-year-old noticed Hudak had an erection.

The release said the girls went up to the playfield, where Hudak boosted the 6-year-old into a tree. While she was in the tree, Hudak reached over and touched the 11-year-old’s buttocks.

A jury convicted Hudak of first-degree child molestation Jan. 18.

“Mr. Hudak’s actions in this case were opportunistic and predatory, he abused the trust of an 11 year old girl who had known him through his music store since she was 7 years old,” said Tessa Scholl, senior deputy prosecutor at the Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office. “I believe the maximum sentence was appropriate in this case and with this closure it is my hope that the victim and her family can move forward and heal.”

Hudak was convicted of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation in 2019 for touching a different victim.