Man accused of sexually assaulting 15-year-old girl pleads no contest to reduced charge
Randolph Hussey
Courtesy of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
Randolph Deshawn Hussey, 36, pleaded no contest in the Washtenaw County Trial Court Tuesday to third-degree sexual conduct in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl, according to court records.
The count was added as part of a plea deal that will dismiss six other criminal sexual conduct charges, both first and second degree, at the time of sentencing.
The plea bargain stipulates that Hussey, who has a criminal past, not be sentenced as a habitual offender. It calls for him to be sentenced between three and 15 years.
At a preliminary examination in February, the 15-year-old girl testified that Hussey sexually abused her numerous times over the past nine years. Many of the incidents occurred at a residence on Desoto Avenue in Ypsilanti Township, according to court records.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but it is treated as such by the court.
Sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 16 in Judge Donald Shelton's courtroom.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Mom1
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 5:18 a.m.
I know this man very well. He did not commit this crime! That is why there was a plea offered that was so low. All this fraudulent county wants to do is convict innocent people of crimes they didn't commit. He is a loving family man who is committed to his children. This girl is a rebellious teen who wants to do what she wants to do and was not allowed that freedom and her back-up have their motives. We should start questioning these kinds of cases and why they end up the way they do. Another innocent black man railroaded. I feel sorry for him and all the other innocent men who fall victim to this corrupt system. Don't you think if he really did this that the prosecution would have went harder! Open your eyes or you could be next!
ronny
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 8:31 a.m.
he sure look proud and happy! I am sure he will get more than 7 yrs.
M.
Sat, Jul 14, 2012 : 11:51 p.m.
This guy was in one of my classes at WCC last year. He was the most social and memorable person in the class and didn't give off any "bad vibes" at all. Seemed like a nice guy who was just trying to better himself with education. This is actually the second classmate I've had at WCC who was charged with sexual assault of a minor, and come to think of it the second one was also the most outspoken and memorable person in that class as well. I never would have guessed...it's very scary to realize that ANYONE can be a pedophile, and with no creepy vibes at all. Also, I agree the plea deal makes NO sense at all and it makes me angry that someone could do that to a little girl younger than my own daughter and get away with such a light punishment!
Mom1
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 5:21 a.m.
Maybe he showed no signs because he is not that kind of person. Think about it! People are falsely accused all the time and our unjust system gets away with it when you are poor and African American. Do some research on it.
Atlas Shrugged
Fri, Jul 13, 2012 : 1:14 p.m.
Just about everyone else summarized things perfectly, but I just have to add my "wow" and "oh my gosh." The proposed sentencing as outlined by aa.com is ludicrous, but I guess we'll see what Judge Shelton hands out. So far it sounds like a relative slap on the wrist for a repeat (habitual) offender. If my old-age math is correct, the victim is 15, she said she's been sexually abused for the last 9 years, so apparently this dude started sexually abusing her at the age of 6??????? In my opinion the sicko pervert guy needs to go to prison for life. (OK, I really think the guy deserves capital punishment, but apparently we don't do that any more because it's inhumane... as if what he did to this victim was humane.)
Jim Van Buren
Fri, Jul 13, 2012 : 11:22 a.m.
What is the rest of the story? This seems like a total miscarriage of justice! The purp must have had some really valuable information to trade with.
apples
Fri, Jul 13, 2012 : 12:27 a.m.
This is very sick and sad. This young lady will need help for a very long time.I hope she gets the help and support to start healing from these horrible events.
RJA
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 11:48 p.m.
I don't get it, but then (who am I to judge) ?? 3-15 years seems so little time for what he did to this child. Had this person touched one of my grand or great grandchildren, I don't think he would have been in court Tuesday. My son or grandson would be serving 3-15 years in prison.
Madeleine Borthwick
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 8:23 p.m.
Does anyone know who the presiding judge is?.......could it be old slap-on-the-wrist-morris? It kind of sounds like it if you know what I mean.
OLDTIMER3
Fri, Jul 13, 2012 : 5:48 p.m.
The deal with the DA doesn't necesarily mean the judge will follow the plan.
a2citizen
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 8:54 p.m.
Read the last sentence.
stevek
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 7:56 p.m.
So he gets prison time equal to one third of the length of the time period that the crime was committed. So if he only did it once, the math says he should be jailed overnight. Makes sense to me.
Birdie
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 6:18 p.m.
Funny this appears right above an article about the Penn State child sex abuse tragedy. 3 to 15?? Wonder how long that little girl will pay for what happened to her. 15 to life seems better to me.
Birdie
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 6:19 p.m.
I mean funny/ironic......not actually funny, it is tragic
grimmk
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 6:14 p.m.
Two things I believe: NO leniency on sexual assault charges of ANY kind and NO leniency on murder or assault charges.
a2citizen
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 4:43 p.m.
It started when the girl was six years old? 3 to 15 years? With good behavior he will be out by Christmas 2013.
Anna
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 4:58 p.m.
Seriously. This makes me sick.
Ricebrnr
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 4:37 p.m.
Maybe I am a pie eyed optimist but surely there are some things worth fighting for, such as justice that should preclude such deals? 9 years of being abused bargained away for what? So they can fear the accused getting put in less than 3 with good behavior? What happens when the people stop believing in the justice system?
Davidian
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 6:54 p.m.
Ormad, prosecutors push plea deals when evidence is shaky, or their workload is overwhelming, etc. Ricebrnr is right: this is a loss for the common citizen. And btw, are you in a position to judge? Or are you the prosecutor? LOL
Davidian
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 6:52 p.m.
Totally agree Ricebrnr
Ricebrnr
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 5:37 p.m.
Apparently you have some expertise or claim to. Why haven't we seen your opinions in this thread? http://annarbor.com/news/crime/man-who-pleaded-guilty-to-charges-related-to-ypsilanti-shooting-wanted-after-skipping-sentencing-hea
ordmad
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 5:26 p.m.
@Ricebrnr: You don't quite get it. This isn't a "win" for the prosecutor and I bet s/he is unhappy with the result. And apparently you're not trained in the law: you can't simply "square" bad evidence away and make it good. Bad evidence (or good evidence for the other side) is what can result in not-guilty verdicts. Once can fight as hard and long as humanly possible and still lose. That, too, happens every day. Finally, did you stop to consider whether the victim and her family might have had any input into this? Whether they might not have wanted her to testify/relive the trauma, etc...... That often plays a very big role in these type of plea deals. I don't know. Neither, kind sir, do you. The difference is I'm not judging the people involved.
Ricebrnr
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 4:59 p.m.
ordmad, Oh I understand that completely. I also understand that on the flip side, this is a "win" for the prosecutor and looks good on their record. I also understand that cutting deals is fiscally easier than having a trial. I also understand that having a trial is inherently more risky. All that being said, any shortcomings between indictment and trial are the prosecutors responsibility to get squared away and to fight and convince in court. This was not justice. With any luck this child molester will learn about justice in prison from his fellow inmates..
ordmad
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 4:49 p.m.
People stop believing when they don't understand or, more importantly, make the effort to. You have a seasoned prosecutor here who looked at all the evidence and made a very informed calculation of the State's likelihood of success at trial. Clearly there were some substantial risks of non-guilty verdicts across the board. So s/he cut the best deal that would, in the prosecutor's estimation, at least put this guy away for a while. That's how the justice system works, day in and day out. Unless you know the facts, the witnesses, how they would present on the stand, what evidence would come in, what evidence wouldn't, etc..., etc..., you're really not in a position to judge.