Chippewa County man sentenced for child sex assault
A DeTour Village man convicted of sexually assaulting a child will spend at least 25 years in prison.
Ronald Charles Goetz was found guilty by a jury of his peers of two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree for assaulting the child and two counts of conspiracy to commit criminal sexual conduct in the first degree for arranging for an unknown man to sexually assault the same child.
The assaults took place between the years of 2005 and 2012.
A firearm that was used in the assaults was tracked down by Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff’s Detective Douglas Mitchell. Investigators were also able to corroborate several of the victim’s statements regarding the assaults.
When sentencing Goetz to 25 to 50 years in prison, Judge James Lambros said he had never seen a more disturbing piece of evidence than one of the videos that was introduced at the trial.
“As terrible as it is for a child to survive this type of horror, it is also exceedingly difficult to survive the criminal justice system as a victim,” prosecuting attorney Robert L. Stratton III said. “A victim is forced to recall the acts that have been locked away for so many years. The victim first has to tell the officers, then answer questions at a preliminary hearing, then ultimately relive the entire experience again for a jury.”
Goetz will be eligible to go before a parole board after he has served 25 years.