Two teenage boys who were accused of sexually assaulting three children in Brandon Township have been sentenced to juvenile probation.
On Aug. 11, Sixth Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Brennan placed the boys, now 14- and 15-years-old, on intensive probation, the terms of which require them to receive sex offender counseling/treatment, as well as individual life counseling/therapy.
‘It’s hoped that these two young people, as well as their victims, can get the help they need to go on and lead productive lives,? said Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Detective Dale Brown. ‘There are no winners in this case.?
According to police reports, on Aug. 21, 2010, two fathers filed a report at the Brandon substation regarding the sexual assault of three of their children, ages 7-, 9-, and 10-years-old, by the suspects, who were 13 and 14 at the time and were neighbors of the victims in the Sashabaw Meadows Mobile Home Park. The assaults began in September 2009.
Suspect #1 was a student at Brandon Middle School. Suspect #2 was an Oxford Middle School student.
During CARE House interviews with the victims, the 9-year-old disclosed repeated assaults by suspect #1, who is also his half-brother. The assaults occurred at their mother’s residence where the boys shared a room. The victim said that on multiple occasions, both suspect #1 and suspect #2 assaulted him.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office designated the case, meaning that upon adjudication of guilt, both suspects could be sentenced as adults. The judge could also have chosen to sentence one or both suspects as juveniles, or blended the sentences, using a combination of punishment both as juveniles and adults.
When the trial began April 28, the boys were each charged with four counts of criminal sexual conduct, first degree, and suspect #1 faced an additional charge of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. Other charges were dropped last fall due to the inability of one of the victims to testify due to emotional trauma.
The boys pleaded no contest to two counts each of criminal sexual conduct, third degree, on May 2.
‘They were sentenced as juveniles under the terms of the plea agreement in order to avoid further court proceedings, which would have caused further hardship on the victim,? said Brown.
The teens are currently each on a 24-hour GPS tether and are confined to their homes. They will be allowed to attend school and go to court-ordered appointments. These stipulations will be reviewed after 90 days. Additionally, they are allowed no unsupervised contact with minors. The boys, Brandon Township residents at the time of the crimes, have moved. One now attends school in Pontiac, while the other attends school in Oxford.
Based on their ages at the time of the crimes, they do not qualify for placement on the sex offender registry, Brown said.