Former UP Priest Sentenced 8-15 Years For Abuse
(CBS DETROIT) - Last month, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a plea agreement with Gary Jacobs, a former priest in the Upper Peninsula who faced cases in Ontonagon and Dickinson Counties.
The Ontonagon sentencing, which happened before Circuit Court Judge Michael Pope earlier this week, involves guilty pleas on:
- Three counts of criminal sexual conduct, 1st degree
- One count of criminal sexual conduct, 2nd degree.
As reached in the plea agreement, Jacobs was sentenced between eight and 15 years on each count, which will run concurrently.
Additionally, Jacobs will be required to complete:
- lifetime sex offender registration related to the CSC 1st degree counts;
- tier II registration on the CSC 2nd degree charge;
- sex offender counseling; and
- lifetime electronic monitoring when released.
"A lengthy prison sentence will never erase the pain Mr. Jacobs inflicted on those who trusted him, but it serves as an example of our pursuit of justice related to clergy abuse and, hopefully, can provide some sense of relief," Nessel said. "We are indebted to those who came forward to make him accountable for his actions. Their courage to speak up is what drove these proceedings, so that while justice was delayed, it was certainly not denied."
It was also important to the Attorney General's clergy abuse team that survivors of Jacobs' abuse be heard if they so chose. Nine people submitted or read victim impact statements during the sentencing.
Two of the survivors were willing to share their full statements while staying anonymous:
A sentencing date in Dickinson County is set for Friday, July 2 at 12 p.m. EST. That guilty plea involves one count of criminal sexual conduct, 2nd degree.
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