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Jail sentence, probation for sexual assault

ESCANABA — A Gladstone teen was sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation in Delta County Circuit Court Wednesday, after pleading no contest for his role in a sexual assault case that involved a codefendant.

Dylan Michael-Patrick McDonough, 19, of Gladstone, was found guilty after pleading no contest to one count criminal sexual conduct – second degree. McDonough pleaded no contest on July 23 after accepting a plea agreement.

“This sentencing here today is about what the appropriate sentence is for you, given your background, given what you did on this particular event, and accomplishing the goals that a court needs to accomplish at the time of sentencing. Those goals are punishment of the defendant — that is you (McDonough) — for the offense that you’ve committed, rehabilitation for you to the extent that it is needed and necessary, protecting society from you to the extent that’s reasonable and necessary, and deterring others from committing these types of offenses,” Dickinson County Circuit Court Judge Mary Barglind said.

McDonough was found guilty in assisting his codefendant, Hunter Grizz Gallagher, 18, of Gladstone, in a sexual assault that took place in June 2017 in Gladstone.

Before Barglind sentenced McDonough, McDonough’s attorney Sarah Henderson and Assistant Attorney General Danielle Hagaman-Clark, asked Barglind to go along with the plea agreement when sentencing him.

Hagaman-Clark took over the cases in Delta County from Brian Kolodziej, who was previously prosecuting the case. He resigned from the Michigan Attorney General Office after an inappropriate relationship with a victim in another case downstate was discovered.

McDonough was sentenced to one year in Delta County jail and credited for 107 days already served. He will be placed on probation for five years. Barglind warned McDonough that violating the terms of his probation would send him to state prison.

McDonough will have to register as a sex offender and is ordered to have no contact with the victim.

He was also ordered to pay $1,008 in fines and costs.

Barglind spoke on the turmoil victims’ go through in sexual assault cases and how the victim in this case will have to live with emotional scarring for the rest of her life.

“So as difficult as this has been for you, Mr. McDonough, and your family — seeing you locked up, seeing you go through all this — it was brought on by one person. And that was you. She’s been going through worse, and will continue to,” Barglind said.

During the sentencing hearing, Rebekah Snyder, who is not the victim, read a statement prepared by the victim.

“The amount of trauma I’ve had to go through from June 13 (2017) to today has been unbearable,” Snyder read.

The statement detailed what the victim had gone through leading up to the assault and after.

“These boys need to get the worst punishment that there is because for the first time in two years I have felt safe knowing that there is no way of me seeing them, or hearing any other stories of my friends having to go through the same trauma that (another victim in another case) and I had to go through,” Snyder read from the victim’s statement.

The codefendant, Gallagher, was supposed to be sentenced Wednesday, as well. However, his hearing was moved to Oct. 4.

Gallagher is facing two cases of criminal sexual conduct where he has taken plea agreements.

In the case involving McDonough, Gallagher pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct – third degree, a 15-year felony and lifetime registration as a sexual offender.

In the other case, Gallagher pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct – third degree, a 15-year felony and lifetime registration as a sexual offender.

In the other case, the charges stem from an incident in August 2018 in Masonville Township. Two other teens faced charges from this incident — Tanner James-Arthur Cannon, 17, of Gladstone, and James Michael Greenlund, 19, of Rapid River.

Cannon took a plea agreement early on, which involves him testifying in the other cases. He won’t be sentenced until after the other defendants involved are sentenced.

Greenlund’s motion hearing was set to take place today, but was also moved to Oct. 4.

Greenlund’s trial is still scheduled to begin Oct. 22.

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