Michigan Sex Crime Attorneys Blog
Ashley Poe, a 19-year-old Ann Arbor resident, was recently sentenced in the Washtenaw County Trial Court to 10 to 15 years in prison for allegedly sexually assaulting an “at-risk runaway,” according to news reports at Mlive.com. Poe pleaded guilty; she allegedly assaulted the boy just two weeks after her release from jail for a similar offense.
In November, Poe accepted a plea deal in which her status as a habitual offender and one of the two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct would be dismissed. The defendant allegedly assaulted a male victim who was between the ages of 13 and 16 at a residence in Ann Arbor in September. Poe had been released just two weeks earlier after serving a one year term for a separate offense involving the sexual assault of two victims, a 13-year-old female and 14-year-old male. According to a police report, the victims in this case were part of a group of runaways. Poe maintains that while she did have sex with the 14-year-old boy underneath an Ann Arbor bridge in July of 2012, she did not force him.
In the plea agreement for the current offense, Judge Archie Brown would not agree to a sentencing agreement.
Poe also pleaded no contest in the September 2012 case, having one count each of second- and third-degree CSC and accosting a child for immoral purposes dismissed in exchange for her plea to two additional counts of assault with intent to commit second-degree CSC.
Sexual assault is a serious crime that is punished harshly in the state of Michigan. Depending on the circumstances and whether penetration is involved, those accused may face up to life in prison if convicted of first-degree CSC, the most serious sex crime of all. While several years or even life behind bars is something no one wants to face, other punishment is often just as devastating. Those accused often face a ruined reputation and career, even the deterioration of relationships. Those required to register as sex offenders remain under a stigma for life, usually shunned by society. Being labeled a sex offender creates many hardships and may impact where an individual may live, or even work.
If you have been arrested or charged with sexual assault, rape, possession of child pornography, Internet sex crimes, or any related offense it is imperative you speak with a trusted Michigan sex crime defense lawyer at once.