This afternoon Judge Branford sentenced Caleb Colgan to 25-years in prison for the 10-counts of sexual abuse of a child that a jury found him guilty of on February 12th. He will also have lifetime post prison supervision and no chance of early release. Judge Branford stated "This whole situation is a tragedy for everyone involved. It is clear that your (Caleb Colgan) actions have left the victim shattered."
During the sentencing the defense brought doctors in to testify about the extent of Mr. Colgans Autism Spectrum Disorder. They indicated that Mr. Colgan did not know what he was doing was wrong. That he is very immature and didn't understand the gravity of his actions. They testified that he would have a very hard time in prison because of his autism. They advocated for the judge to consider putting Mr. Colgan on probation with therapy and strict supervision of a probation officer. Mr. Colgan's mother testified "this was just two kids fooling around and it was a bad decision." She begged the judge for her son's life, and was scared for him. "Prison will destroy his life" Judge Branford stated that the victim's life was destroyed.
The victim's mother also testified. She addressed Mr. Colgan saying "You destroyed my baby. My child is now scared to make other friends. My baby now suffers consequences over something you did, you should suffer consequences for your actions." District Attorney Lanee Danforth said "I have no doubt that he is a nice young man, however he committed a crime and made a choice to be predatory and violent." Danforth added this is about public safety and the victim.
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