A Michigan father and son were sentenced to prison an hour apart for having criminal sexual relations with the same juvenile.
Marc A. Rowe, Jr., 19, will serve three to 15 years for having sex with the victim, who is now 14. Marc A. Rowe Sr., 45, will spend from 22 to 35 years behind bars for his sexual relations with the girl, who knew the Rowes, prosecutors said.
Midland County Circuit Judge Michael Beale denied the younger Rowe’s request to have his record sealed, saying the defendant was “casual” about his abuse of the victim.
“It is punishment that is being exacted here,” Beale said, MLive.com reported Tuesday.
The father had sex with the girl for several months, beginning when she was 12. His son followed in May 2014, at the age of 18. The victim was then 13 and in the eighth grade.
“I hope he understands that the damage he has done is going to be with (the victim) for the rest of her life,” a family member said in court during the son’s sentencing.
The younger defendant expressed regret in March, when he pleaded guilty.
“I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused, all the problems that this has spawned,” he said, according to the news site. “I wish this could have all been avoided, but it happened, and it’s all my fault.”
The father must wear an electronic monitoring device for the rest of his life and must register as a sex offender.
The Rowes were charged separately, prosecutors said, because there was no evidence they jointly had sex with the girl.
