Five minutes before writing this, I read an article about a 35-year old Cloquet man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting one preteen girl and who conceded that prosecutors could prove he sexually assaulted a second preteen girl. Both girls were 5 or 6 years old. One of the girls claimed he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. She suffered great bodily harm and permanent disfigurement as a result, according to the Aug. 31 story, "Cloquet man pleads guilty to sex assault of girl."
Furthermore, court records indicated this man was on probation for an abuse conviction in 2005. In that case, he initially was charged with sexually abusing a mentally impaired victim, the story stated.
So, after 5 minutes of reflection, I must ask: Are you kidding me with an 86-month prison sentence, which is what this man will receive if the court accepts a plea agreement? Who made that decision? That's less than five years with good behavior. Perhaps the 86 months was a misprint. If not, it's one of the most unjust and disgusting sentences I've ever heard of.
Jeff Bushnell
Duluth
