A Cornville man will serve two years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault, following an investigation that began in 2021, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office announced on Friday.
In April 2021, Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Detective Jeremy Leal launched an investigation into a report of sexual assaults against an adult female that had allegedly occurred over the course of three years, beginning in 2016.
Upon completion of the investigation, Detective Leal submitted the case to the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office for review and potential charges.
In July 2023, a Somerset County grand jury indicted Jakob VanVliet, 24, of Cornville on two counts of gross sexual assault — one a Class A offense, the other a Class C offense.
VanVliet was arrested on Aug. 22, 2023, on a warrant stemming from the indictment.
He was released from jail after posting $5,000 cash bail, and his trial date was scheduled for September 2024.
When VanVliet failed to appear for jury selection, the court issued another warrant for his arrest, and he was taken into custody on Sept. 17, and was held without bail.
On Oct. 8, appearing in the Somerset County Unified Criminal Court, VanVliet pleaded guilty to both counts of gross sexual assault.
VanVliet was sentenced to 10 years in jail on the Class A gross sexual assault charge, with all but two years of the sentence suspended.
For the Class C gross sexual assault charge, VanVliet was sentenced to two years in jail, to be served concurrently with his sentence on the Class A charge.
Additionally, VanVliet will be subject to four years of probation, during which he will be prohibited from contacting the victim. He will also be required to participate in sex offender treatment, and to become a lifetime registrant on the Maine Sex Offender Registry.
Why a stock picture of a gavel and not a picture of the adult sex offender? The rest of us in Maine might like to know what this guy looks like so that we could avoid him in the future.
Democratic party up by one.