Norton Shores man sentenced to 1 year in jail for CSC.

March 3, 2015
Dean Nowaczyk, left, with his attorney Jeffrey West.

Dean Nowaczyk, left, with his attorney Jeffrey West.

By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief.

LUDINGTON — A Muskegon County man who had sexual relations with female children who he was related to was sentenced to serve one year in jail today in 51st Circuit Court.

Dean Andrew Nowaczyk, 46, of 6384 Martin Rd, Norton Shores, was charged with three counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct. The initial charge was made almost a year ago with additional charges in October 2014.

Second degree criminal sexual conduct is a felony that involves sexual activity with children under 13-years-old and punishable by up to 15 years in prison and mandatory lifetime monitoring. Nowaczyk had accepted a plea agreement with the Mason County Prosecuting Attorney’s office to one year in jail serving up to 9 months up front. However, Judge Susan Sniegowski partially rejected the plea, sentencing him to serve the entire 12 months in jail.

“This has been a highly emotional case from a number of different vantage points,” said Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola, adding that there were many dynamics to the case because it involved family and minor children.

The victims, one who is now 10-years-old and another now 15-years-old, were abused by Nowaczyk when they were around 9- and 10-years-old. There was also a third victim in the case.

One of the victims, during a probable cause hearing in 79th District Court, testified that Nowaczyk touched her inappropriately multiple times over a period of 11 months in 2009-2010.

Several people attended Tuesday’s sentencing. Early into the hearing, Judge Sniegowski asked to meet with Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola, the probation agent and Nowacyk’s attorney, Jeffrey West of Muskegon. After several minutes the four re-appeared in the courtroom and then West met privately with Nowacyk in chambers.

Spaniola told the court that the reduced sentence was to help bring closure to the case and to assist the victims’ families financially.

The two victims and their mothers were allowed to address the court.

The mother of one of the victims asked Judge Sniegowski to give Nowaczyk the full sentence of a maximum of 15 years in prison. She later asked for Judge Sniegowski to allow the sentencing agreement to move forward.

“I want to thank the victims who spoke today,” Judge Sniegowski said. “You have shown remarkable courage and you should be very proud of yourselves for coming forward and being able to process what has happened in your lives.”

Sniegowski said the guidelines in the plea agreement would allow her to sentence him to up to 17 months in jail. She said she recognized that the agreement was based on the family’s financial needs.

“I’m extremely troubled by what I have been asked to do today,” Judge Sniegowski said, adding that the guidelines do not allow her to impose a harsher sentence. She also sentenced Nowaczyk to 5 years probation.

“I don’t want you to think that I’m sentencing you because you have done something that has allowed you to do a lesser sentence,” Sniegowski told Nowaczyk. “I am making this decision to allow this family, which you have caused tremendous harm, to move on.”

Nowaczyk’s attorney asked Sniegowski to allow him to serve his sentence in the Muskegon County Jail.

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