Ossineke man admits to sexually assaulting 3 girls, bestiality charge dropped
Phil Heimerl
A young Ossineke Township man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting three girls.
In exchange for the guilty plea, Damien Barton will not be charged with bestiality/sodomy, for allegedly also having sexual contact with a dog.
Barton pleaded guilty Monday, to a single count of criminal sexual conduct (CSC) first degree and two counts of CSC fourth degree. In addition to the bestiality/sodomy charge, another count of accosting a child for immoral purposes was dismissed as part of a settlement agreement.
Barton, who turns 19 years-old later this month, admitted that he had sexual contact with three young girls, one of which is a relative and was only 8 years-old at the time of the assault, which occurred last December. The other two victims were said to be "friends" and were both under the age of 16. Those assaults occurred between September 2018 and June 2019.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, and Barton faces life in prison on the CSC first degree charge.
Barton was initially arrested in April 2019, after a woman in Ossineke Township found him engaging in sex acts with her bull terrier lab mix, on a home security surveillance video.