Ex-probation officer faces nearly 60 sexual assault charges
MLive
Aug. 08, 2019
CARO, MI – A former probation officer is facing nearly 60 felony charges. Prosecutors allege he sexually assaulted a teenage girl over several years.
On May 20, the now-21-year-old woman filed a report with the Michigan State Police, alleging 48-year-old Ryan C. Purdy had sexually abused her. Purdy on the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 7, surrendered to law enforcement after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.
Thursday afternoon, Purdy appeared via closed-circuit television from jail for arraignment in Tuscola County District Court. District Magistrate Joseph A. Van Auken arraigned Purdy on 58 charges — 29 counts each of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
First degree is a life offense and third-degree is a 15-year felony.
Tuscola County Assistant Prosecutor Erica K. Walle appeared at the arraignment. Prosecutors allege the charges relate to conduct that occurred from 2013 through 2018, from the time the complainant was 15 to 18.
Walle said the victim now lives out of state and suffers from nightmares and mental health concerns as a result of the alleged abuse.
Walle alleged that Purdy has made admissions to the crimes and there is a recorded phone conversation in which Purdy says he had sex with the victim.
Walle asked Van Auken to set a $150,000 bond.
Defense attorney Brian H. Jean also appeared at the arraignment and argued for a personal recognizance bond with a high sum to back it. He said his client has no criminal history and knew of the allegations since they were made months ago but did not flee the area.
He added Purdy once worked as a probation officer in Saginaw County. The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed Purdy worked in such a capacity from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003.
Jean said the victim was a “willing participant” in the alleged sex acts, adding the defense would dispute such acts began before the girl turned 16. At 16, the girl would have been legally able to consent to sexual activity.
Purdy said he lives in Mayville, is currently in law school, and is a self-employed home inspector. He asked for a reasonable bond so he could attend his law school finals next week.
Walle said a personal recognizance bond would be “wholly inappropriate” in such a case. She also asked the magistrate to order Purdy not only have no contact with the complainant, but with some third-party individuals, stating some people have already contacted the victim to request she drop the charges.
Van Auken ended up setting a $75,000 cash-surety bond. If Purdy posts it, he is to be on a GPS tether.
The magistrate granted Walle’s request that Purdy be prohibited from using third parties to contact the victim.
Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene spoke with MLive after the arraignment.
“The number of charges is a small fraction of the actual incidents that occurred,” he said. “It takes tremendous courage to come forward (in sexual assault cases). That’s why it’s the least reported crime of any that occurs. The criminal justice system makes it complicated, but we do our best to minimize impact.”
Also speaking with MLive, Jean said he is “looking forward to the facts coming out and making sure my client has excellent representation and an aggressive defense.”
Purdy is to appear for a preliminary examination at 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 28.
Ex-probation officer faces dozens of sexual misconduct charges
Prosecutors allege he sexually assaulted a teenage girl
Saginaw News (MI)
August 11, 2019
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/
CARO — A former Saginaw County probation officer is facing nearly 60 felony charges. Prosecutors allege he sexually assaulted a teenage girl over several years.
On May 20, the now-21-year-old woman filed a report with the Michigan State Police, alleging 48-year-old Ryan Purdy had sexually abused her. Purdy on Wednesday surrendered to law enforcement after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.
The next day, Purdy appeared via closed-circuit television from jail for arraignment in Tuscola County District Court. Magistrate Joseph Van Auken arraigned Purdy on 58 charges — 29 counts each of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
First-degree criminal sexual conduct is a life offense, and third-degree is a 15-year felony.
Prosecutors allege the charges relate to conduct that occurred from 2013 through 2018, from the time the complainant was 15 to 18.
The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed Purdy worked as a probation officer in Saginaw County from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003.
Tuscola County Assistant Prosecutor Erica Walle said the victim now lives out of state and suffers from mental health problems as a result of the alleged abuse.
Walle alleged Purdy has made admissions to the crimes and there is a recorded phone conversation in which Purdy says he had sex with the victim.
Walle asked Van Auken to set a $150,000 bond.
Defense attorney Brian Jean argued for a personal recognizance bond with a high sum to back it. He said his client has no criminal history and knew of the allegations since they were made months ago but did not flee the area.
Jean said the victim was a “willing participant” in the alleged sex acts, adding the defense would dispute such acts began before the girl turned 16. At 16, the girl would have been legally able to consent to sexual activity.
Purdy lives in Mayville, attends law school, and is a self-employed home inspector. He asked for a reasonable bond so he could attend his school finals.
Walle said a personal recognizance bond would be “wholly inappropriate” in such a case. She also asked the magistrate to order Purdy not only have no contact with the complainant, but with some other individuals, stating some people have already contacted the victim to request she drop the charges.
Van Auken set a $75,000 cash-surety bond. If Purdy posts it, he is to be on a GPS tether.
The magistrate granted Walle’s request that Purdy be prohibited from using third parties to contact the victim.
Purdy is to appear for a preliminary examination Aug. 28.
Prosecutor: Charges will be reauthorized against alleged child molester
Tuscola County Advertiser, The (MI)
January 13, 2021
On Monday, 48-year-old Ryan C. Purdy of Mayville was present at a video hearing that included his attorney, Bay City-based Brian Jean, Tuscola County Circuit Court Judge Amy Grace Gierhart and assistant prosecutor Erica Walle.
The reason for the hearing, one day before Purdy's scheduled jury trial, was for the prosecution to request a nolle prosequi (the dismissal of a lawsuit).
Last week, Walle asked for an adjournment of the trial, but the request was denied.
"So our only option at this time would be to dismiss and reauthorize (the charges)," Walle said.
New evidence, in the form of information from a cellular phone (or phone dump), was received by the prosecutor's office Jan. 4. Walle told the court she spent a week reviewing the material.
"It is 1,200 pages in length, and I just finished reviewing it (Sunday) night so that I could disclose it to the defense," Walle said during the hearing. "I was able to send Mr. Jean part of it, however I'm not able to send all of it at this time because there are photographs on the phone dump that the people believe are child sexually abusive material."
Walle said that the cellular phone was sent to the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit in February, and that the prosecutor's office sent multiple requests – via written letters, text messages and emails – asking for the analysis from the phone before receiving it last week.
"After review of the phone dump, it does appear that there is material on the phone dump that would present evidentiary value for both parties, I believe, in the trial in this matter," Walle said. "I don't think it (the trial) can proceed (Tuesday). It would be unfair to the defense. There are messages on the phone that could be construed as exculpatory. The defense will probably want to use them at the trial, and we don't believe it would be fair to the defense to proceed."
Walle said the prosecution would also need more time to assess the new evidence, reiterating that even though the prosecution is requesting the current charges be dropped, the office plans to reissue a new set of charges.
Gierhart signed the order for the dismissal, saying the court has no authority to deny the nolle prosequi request. But she displayed displeasure at the multiple times the case has been postponed.
"It is very offensive what is occurring here to the court, and I guess it would be OK if it was isolated," Gierhart said. "It is not at all isolated. It is pretty much commonplace."
It has been more than 16 months since the case against Purdy was bound over to circuit court. The original date for a jury trial was Dec. 10, 2019. The trial was adjourned and rescheduled for Feb. 24 after the defense requested a motion for further discovery, Gierhart said. The trial was rescheduled for March after another postponement, which again was adjourned. The next date of the trial, May 19, didn't happen because the Tuscola County Courthouse was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I don't know what's going on, all I know is when I set a court date, that's when it's going to trial. So nobody needs to call me anymore, if I set it for jury trial, it's going. And to see that nobody even followed up on this between March and Dec. 30 is really mind-blowing. Mind-blowing," Gierhart said. "The (prosecution) represents the people of the state of Michigan, that includes me, that includes Mr. Purdy, that includes the both of you (the defense and prosecution). And what I'm seeing, I'm not very happy with it."
Purdy was charged in August 2019 with 58 counts of criminal sexual conduct – 29 each of first-degree CSC and third-degree CSC. According to court files, the alleged sexual misconduct began in 2013 and ended in 2018 and occurred in Fremont and Millington townships.
The then-21-year-old alleged female victim contacted Michigan State Police on May 20, 2019, to report that Purdy had sexually abused her.
"The charged conduct spans between the time she was 15 and 18 years of age," Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene told The Advertiser in August 2020. "The conduct itself went outside that range. Despite the number of counts, it's only a small fraction of the conduct that's been addressed."
Both first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct include sexual penetration. First-degree CSC carries a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment while third-degree CSC carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Reene said Purdy is a non-relative who was living at the same residence as the alleged victim.
MLive.com reported Jean told Tuscola County Magistrate Joseph Van Auken at Purdy's arraignment that the alleged sexual acts between his client and the victim were consensual, and that they started after the girl turned 16, which is the legal age of consent in Michigan.
The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed to MLive that Purdy was employed as a probation officer in Saginaw County from 1995 until he resigned in 2003.
Purdy had been free on bond while awaiting trial.
Judge blasts prosecutor in sex assault case facing ex-Michigan probation officer
MLive
Jan. 13, 2021
CARO, MI — The day before his trial was to begin, an ex-Michigan probation officer facing nearly 60 sexual assault charges had his case dismissed, though prosecutors subsequently refiled the charges.
In dismissing the case on Monday, Jan. 11, the presiding judge had some strong words for the prosecution, accusing them of being unprepared.
The trial of Ryan C. Purdy, 48, was to begin Tuesday before Tuscola County Circuit Judge Amy Grace Gierhart. Prosecutors in August 2019 charged Purdy with 58 charges — 29 counts each of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
First-degree is a life offense and third-degree is a 15-year felony.
On Monday, Gierhart presided over a hearing after prosecutors on Friday submitted a request for the judge to dismiss Purdy’s charges.
In support of the dismissal request, Tuscola County Assistant Prosecutor Erica K. Walle said she received a cellphone from the defense in February and sent it to the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit for analysis.
“Since that time, the people have requested the analysis of the phone dump from the Michigan State Police on various occasions,” Walle said. “We’ve sent over written requests, email requests, and text message requests. Finally, we received the phone dump on Monday of last week. It is 1,200 pages in length.”
Walle said she finished reviewing the documents on Sunday night and sent part of it to defense attorney Brian H. Jean. She was unable to send all of it as some of the material is believed to be child pornography, she said. She further said the phone dump appears to have evidence that would be beneficial to both parties, including messages on the phone that could be exculpatory for Purdy.
Needing more time to review the documents, Walle submitted a request to adjourn the Jan. 12 trial date. That request was denied.
“Our only option at this point would be to dismiss and reauthorize,” Walle said.
Before granting the request, Judge Gierhart told Walle she wanted to see copies of emails between the prosecutor’s office and the state police since February regarding the phone dump analysis. After a recess for Walle to provide those materials, the judge reconvened the hearing and voiced her displeasure of the prosecution’s handling of the case.
Gierhart said she had set the Jan. 12 trial date back on Sept. 10, 2020, after prior trial dates were adjourned.
“That was after the Court was able to secure another location to conduct jury trials,” Gierhart said. “It is very offensive what is occurring here to the Court. I guess it would be OK if it was isolated. It is not at all isolated. It is pretty commonplace.
“I don’t know what’s going on but all I know is, when I set a court date, that’s when it’s going to trial,” she continued. “I don’t care who calls. If I set it for jury trial, it’s going. And to see that nobody even followed up on this between March and December 30 is really mind-blowing. Mind. Blowing. The people represent the people of the state of Michigan, OK? That includes me. That includes Mr. Purdy. What I’m seeing is, I’m not very happy with it.”
Gierhart then referenced Walle’s boss, elected Prosecutor Mark E. Reene.
“Every single time that this happens from now on … the people of the state of Michigan represented by Mark E. Reene are coming to court to explain why they are not ready to proceed,” she said.
Gierhart ended up granting Walle’s request and dismissed the case against Purdy without prejudice, meaning the prosecution can refile charges.
Speaking with MLive, Reene said his office reauthorized all 58 charges against Purdy later on Monday and Purdy was rearraigned on them Tuesday morning. Purdy waived his right to a preliminary examination and his trial has been reset for March 9.
Reene defended his staff regarding Judge Gierhart’s claim that they come to court unprepared.
“Our staff is extraordinarily professional,” Reene said. “We have an extraordinary emphasis on courtesy, respect, and professionalism. Those are the pillars of how we go about our business. Our assistants work extremely hard at doing their jobs well.”
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected Reene’s office and law enforcement agencies, something Reene said may have contributed to the new cellphone evidence in Purdy’s case being received only recently despite months’ of requests.
“Often times, it’s not understood by the average citizen that the prosecuting attorney is as responsible for a fair trial as a court,” Reene said. “We have the obligation to ensure that a defendant has all the information available to them and an opportunity to review it, and that’s what was done last week. As a result of that, there was a joint request to have the trial adjourned. That was denied by the court.”
Prosecutors previously said a 21-year-old woman in May 2019 filed a report with the state police alleging Purdy had sexually abused her between 2013 and 2018, from the time she was 15 to 18.
Walle previously alleged that Purdy has made admissions to the acts and there is a recorded phone conversation in which Purdy says he had sex with the victim.
Purdy worked as a probation officer with the Michigan Department of Corrections from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003.
Defense attorney Jean previously said the victim was a “willing participant” in the alleged sex acts, adding the defense would dispute such acts began before the girl turned 16. At 16, the girl would have been legally able to consent to sexual activity.
Trial begins for former probation officer charged with abusing child
Tuscola County Advertiser, The (MI)
June 14, 2021
Brian Jean, the defense attorney for former probation officer Ryan C. Purdy, told jurors Thursday it was not their job to determine what kind of man the defendant is.
"You're probably going to hear all kinds of evidence of how (Purdy) is this horrible, immoral person," Jean said. "I am going to tell you right here, right now that Ryan Purdy is a sleaze."
Purdy is accused of 58 counts of criminal sexual conduct – 29 first-degree, and 29 third-degree. His alleged victim is the daughter of a former neighbor whose mother would become Purdy's girlfriend.
According to court files, the alleged sexual misconduct began in 2013 and ended in 2018 and occurred in Fremont and Millington townships. Prosecutors say it began when the alleged victim was 15.
During his Thursday opening statement, Jean did not deny the accusations that Purdy had a sexual relationship with the alleged victim but told the jury that all actions between his client and the girl were legal.
"Remember, no matter how much evidence is put in front of you as we move forward, that doesn't matter, because that's not the element of a crime," Jean said. "Do not get bogged down on whether or not he's a good guy or he's a bad guy morally. We are not here to determine that."
Purdy worked as a Saginaw County probation officer from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003.
The trial began Tuesday with jury selection, a process that lasted until about 5 p.m. Wednesday. Thursday morning, the 10-woman, four-man jury (two of the jurors are alternates and will be dismissed prior to deliberation) was seated and began hearing witness testimony in the case. The trial is being held at the Caro Knights of Columbus Hall, 903 Ryan Road in Indianfields Township. The K of C is larger than the circuit court room at the courthouse and has more room for social distancing.
The case is being presided over by Judge Donald Teeple, a longtime Sanilac County judge who is now retired. The state's case is being handled by Tuscola County assistant prosecutor Erica Walle.
In her opening statement, Walle said that Purdy became infatuated with the alleged victim when the girl was an 11- or 12-year-old child, when Purdy became her neighbor.
"The defendant wanted (the alleged victim) sexually, and he was going to make sure he got her," Walle said.
Walle said the abuse began shortly after the alleged victim's 15th birthday, when she was a freshman in high school, and continued until she went to college. At the time, Purdy was dating the alleged victim's mother. Walle said the evidence would show that Purdy wanted control of the alleged victim and would threaten to walk out on the family if she did not continue giving him attention and having sex with him.
Walle said as the alleged victim got older, Purdy threatened to take away her cellphone and car.
"(Purdy) demanded that she text and call him regularly," Walle said. "He became obsessed with her and was going to do whatever he had to do to make her his."
The alleged victim took the witness stand Thursday and corroborated much of what Walle told the jury when questioned by the prosecution. She said she never wanted to have sexual relations with Purdy, and only did so because she feared he would retaliate by leaving her mother. She also said Purdy's alleged behavior made her feel "disgusted."
Jean told the jury to not "check your common sense at the door."
"She could leave if she wanted, she had the power," Jean said. "She chose to continue a relationship with Ryan Purdy, even through college. I think what you are going to find is she was addicted to Ryan Purdy. She was addicted to this affair. She continued it and kept it from everybody long after she went to school."
Jean said, before the alleged victim began testifying, that he thought her testimony from a 2019 pretrial hearing would differ from what she testifies at the trial.
"I think you are going to hear that throughout her life, (the alleged victim's) had her share of trauma," Jean said. "I think she's probably going to testify to you that she was coerced into things. But she could have done other things, and she didn't."
It's been more than two years since the alleged victim filed a complaint with the MSP Caro Post – in May 2019. At least four potential trial dates have been canceled for various reasons, including discovery of new evidence and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Purdy faces 58 counts of criminal sexual conduct, he can only be found guilty of 29. Walle told jurors that they will have three options when they begin deliberation – to find Purdy not guilty, guilty of 29 counts of first-degree CSC or guilty of 29 counts of third-degree CSC. Both degrees of CSC involve sexual penetration. First-degree CSC carries a maximum penalty of life in prison while third-degree CSC carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
The trial will continue Monday.
Purdy trial to resume after four-day hiatus
Tuscola County Advertiser, The (MI)
June 16, 2021
The jury trial for Ryan Purdy, a 48-year-old Mayville man who once worked as a probation officer in Saginaw County, continued Friday with testimony from the alleged victim's boyfriend.
Purdy is charged with 29 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and 29 counts of third-degree CSC in connection with sexual relations between he and the teenage daughter of his then-girlfriend.
Defense attorney, Bay City-based Brian Jean, has argued that any sexual relationship between the alleged victim and his client was consensual, and occurred after the girl turned 16, which is the legal age of consent in Michigan.
Tuscola County assistant prosecutor Erica Walle, as well as the alleged victim, have said that the girl was 15 when the sexual acts began and that she didn't want them to occur at all, even after she turned 16. The prosecution alleges the misconduct began in 2013 and lasted through 2018, taking place in Millington and Fremont townships.
Much of Jean's questioning of the alleged victim's boyfriend was connected to an audio recording the man made the first time he spoke with Purdy, which had earlier been played for the jury.
Jean's line of questioning seemed to imply that he thought the boyfriend was more concerned that Purdy was potentially having sex with a minor than having sex with the girl against her will.
"Don't you think it's a little bit odd that the (alleged victim's) boyfriend is angry that (Purdy's) been sexually assaulting her for years, and the question you ask him is 'how old was she?'" Jean asked. "Don't you find it odd that that is what you're concerned with?"
According to testimony, the witness began dating the alleged victim in the summer of 2018. The couple have lived out of state since the relationship began. In May 2019, she told him about the sex acts with Purdy and a complaint was filed at the Michigan State Police Caro Post. May 2019 is also when the phone call between Purdy and the boyfriend occurred.
The boyfriend told the jury that Purdy told him he had a sexual relationship with the victim when she was 15, and that's when the boyfriend began recording the call. At no point during the recording does the boyfriend ask Purdy how old the alleged victim was when the acts began, and Purdy does not say she was 15.
"You believe that this man had been sexually assaulting your girlfriend for years, you call him up to confront him about it, and you don't ask him why he was sexually assaulting your girlfriend?" Jean asked the boyfriend. "You ask him how old was she."
The boyfriend said he was attempting to gain evidence to present if the case ended up in front of a jury.
"My concern was she was underage," the boyfriend said. "And I knew I was recording it to use in court, so if I could get an admittance out of him (it could be used as evidence)."
In his Thursday opening statement, Jean told the jury that Purdy is a "sleaze." But that all sexual interactions between his client and the alleged victim were legal.
Purdy worked as a Saginaw County probation officer from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003. According to testimony, Purdy and his wife and child were neighbors of the alleged victim. A couple of years later, the girl's mother and father divorced, and the mother began dating Purdy.
The trial began June 8 with jury selection, a process that lasted until about 5 p.m. that day. Thursday morning, the 10-woman, four-man jury (two of the jurors are alternates and will be dismissed prior to deliberation) was seated and began hearing witness testimony in the case. The trial is being held at the Caro Knights of Columbus Hall, 903 Ryan Road in Indianfields Township. The K of C is larger than the circuit court room at the courthouse and has more room for social distancing.
The case is being presided over by Judge Donald Teeple, a longtime Sanilac County judge who is now retired.
The trial is taking longer than expected, so at the end Friday's testimony, a decision was made to take a four-day hiatus and resume the trial today at the Tuscola County Courthouse. Although the public will not be allowed to be present, the trial will be streamed on the circuit court's YouTube channel. To watch, go to the Tuscola County Circuit Court webpage and click on the YouTube link.
The trial is being moved to the courthouse because a new jury trial began Tuesday at the K of C Hall.
Although Purdy faces 58 counts of criminal sexual conduct, he can be found guilty of only 29. Walle told jurors that they will have three options when they begin deliberation – to find Purdy not guilty, guilty of 29 counts of first-degree CSC or guilty of 29 counts of third-degree CSC. Both degrees of CSC involve sexual penetration. First-degree CSC carries a maximum penalty of life in prison while third-degree CSC carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Purdy was arraigned on the charges in August 2019.
Police report leads judge to dismiss 40 of 58 felonies in ex-probation officer’s sexual assault trial
MLive
Jun. 16, 2021
CARO, MI — Earlier this month, an ex-probation officer accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl over several years began his trial facing 58 felonies. Now, the charges have been reduced to 18 after the presiding judge dismissed most of the counts due to a recently discovered police report.
The trial of Ryan C. Purdy, 49, began June 8 in Tuscola County Circuit Court with visiting retired Sanilac County Circuit Judge Donald A. Teeple Jr. presiding. The trial began with Purdy facing 29 counts each of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Both charges involve penetration, with first-degree being a life offense and third-degree being punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Purdy’s alleged victim, now a 23-year-old woman, testified on June 10 and 11 that her sexual encounters with Purdy began when she was 15. She said the assaults began shortly after an incident in which she was caught with a boy in a vehicle in 2013.
However, on June 14, attorneys discovered a police report from the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office stating the incident involving the girl and boy in the vehicle occurred in February 2014, when the girl would have been 16.
The age of consent for sexual activity in Michigan is 16.
Due to this new information, defense attorney Brian H. Jean of Bay City law firm Triton Legal on June 15 filed a motion seeking to have the case against Purdy dismissed.
“This (police) report is direct evidence that Mr. Purdy is innocent of 40 of the 5 charges pending against him,” Jean wrote. “It further casts significant doubt on (the victim’s) credibility as it relates to the remaining charges.”
Jean alleged he had attempted to get a copy of the report in February via a Freedom of Information Act request. His request was denied, he said.
Jean also wrote that the prosecution “illegally withheld exculpatory evidence” from Purdy in violation of his due process rights. The prosecution not disclosing the 2016 police report until the after the trial began “is grossly negligent at its absolute best and wholly nefarious at its worst,” Jean wrote.
Jean requested the court order a sanction against the prosecution, such as by dismissing all the charges.
The defense maintains Purdy and the girl did have sexual interactions, but only after she turned 16 and that all of the acts were consensual. Jean said there is text message evidence showing this to be the case. Purdy was not related to the girl but knew her through her mother, Jean said.
On Wednesday morning, the prosecution recalled Purdy’s alleged victim to the witness stand, with Tuscola County Assistant Prosecutor Erica K. Walle saying the 2016 report was newly discovered due to additional investigation.
When Walle asked her about the report, the witness said had not lied when testifying she was 15 when the assaults began but was mistaken.
“I believe it was just because I was so young at the time,” she said. “I believed that I was (15).”
“Everything else that you told the jury happened to you, did that happen to you?” Walle asked her.
“Every single time,” the witness answered.
When the witness stepped down, Walle asked the judge to dismiss 40 of the charges against Purdy, as they related to times when the victim would have been younger than 16. Judge Teeple granted the request and dismissed the charges, leaving 18 counts for Purdy to still face.
The prosecution is arguing Purdy used force or coercion in those 18 counts, in contrast to the defense’s position that the sexual acts were consensual.
Purdy was initially charged in August 2019, months after the then-21-year-old woman filed a report with the Michigan State Police. The woman said the assaults by Purdy continued through July 2018, at which time she would have been 20.
Prosecutors at the time of Purdy’s charging said his alleged victim was living out of state and suffered from nightmares and mental health issues as a result of Purdy’s conduct.
Purdy, now of Mayville, previously worked as a probation officer in Saginaw County. The Michigan Department of Corrections has said Purdy worked in such a capacity from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003.
Purdy was in law school when he was charged, though he has since dropped out, Jean wrote in his motion.
Contacted by MLive, Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark E. Reene declined to comment, citing he is participating in Purdy’s trial.
Purdy’s trial is continuing and can be viewed live on the 54th Circuit Court’s YouTube channel.
Sexual abuse or consensual affair? Attorneys give closing arguments in ex-probation officer’s trial
MLive
Jun. 18, 2021
CARO, MI — Did an ex-probation officer spend years sexually abusing a teenage girl, or did he have a relationship with a teen who legally consented to it? The answer to that question is now being determined by a Tuscola County jury.
Attorneys in the trial of 49-year-old Ryan C. Purdy delivered their closing arguments the morning of Friday, June 18. Purdy began his trial in Tuscola County Circuit Court on June 8 facing 29 counts each of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The prosecution dismissed 40 of the 58 counts mid-trial after it came to light Purdy’s alleged victim was 16 when the abuse began rather than 15 as she had originally claimed.
The age of consent for sexual activity in Michigan is 16. The defense has maintained Purdy engaged in sexual conduct with the girl only after she turned 16 and that the contact was consensual.
The prosecution’s perspective
Friday morning, Tuscola County Assistant Prosecutor Erica K. Walle summarized the people’s perspective on the case. She began by saying the age-specific charges were dismissed not because of anything to do with Purdy’s conduct.
“It is important to know that what he did has remained unchanged,” Walle said. “The mental anguish experienced by (the victim) has remained unchanged. The force or coercion the defendant exercised upon (her) to get her to engage in sexual acts with him has remained unchanged.”
Walle said the victim met Purdy when she was a little girl and he grew into a father figure for her.
“Unfortunately for (her), though, even from a young age the defendant began to become overly protective of her in ways that were not normal,” Walle said.
She reminded the jury of a witness who testified that when the victim was 12 or 13, a boy bicycled to her house, only for Purdy to send him away.
“He was watching (her) and he was biding his time,” Walle said. “He knew … it wouldn’t be long until he could claim (her). He started restricting where she could go, what she could do, who she could talk to. He isolated her from anyone that he thought she would be able to trust enough to tell what he was about to do.”
Not too long after this incident, Purdy sexually assaulted the teen for the first time, Walle said.
Purdy began threatening the teen and holding things over to get her to go along, Walle said.
“(She) truly believed that the only way to keep the peace, as she called it, was to do everything she could to try to make him happy,” she said.
When the alleged victim left Michigan for college, Purdy continued controlling her, coercing her to return to him a couple of times per month, Walle said.
While the alleged victim was attending college, she met a man whom she grew to trust. She eventually told him she had been sexually abused, but would not say by whom until May 2019, Walle said.
The victim ended up making disclosures about Purdy, prompting Purdy to in turn call her confidant and tell him to stay out of the situation. The man ended up recording the phone call, Walle said.
“The recording starts off with the defendant saying, and I quote, ‘I don’t want to go to jail for this,’” Walle said. “It is evident from that phone call that the defendant — who in the phone call claims to know the law because he’s in law school and he’s experienced as a detective — knows he has committed a crime, several crimes in fact. He admits to the elements of this offense while trying to downplay the severity of what he had done. He admits there was a point in time where (she) told him she didn’t want to do this. He admits she didn’t consent.”
Walle concluded by saying the evidence has shown beyond a reasonable doubt that Purdy is guilty of nine counts first-degree criminal sexual conduct causing personal injury and nine counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct using force or coercion.
The defense’s argument
In his final chance to address the jury, defense attorney Brian H. Jean repeated Purdy and his alleged victim only engaged in a consensual arrangement. He began by reiterating the trial began with Purdy facing 58 counts, now reduced to 18.
“Forty of those counts, 70% of the government’s case against this man, had to be dropped. Why? In the middle of trial. Why? Because a police report that has been in the position of the Tuscola County sheriff for seven years, presumably also in the position of the prosecutor’s office. That is incredibly significant.”
Jean said Walle glossed over this development in her closing argument, saying the prosecution had an obligation to seek out evidence that could exculpate Purdy. When the victim testified, she said Purdy began abusing her when she was 15, later shown to be inaccurate by the 2014 police report.
“Think about how she reacted when confronted with the truth,” Jean said. “She got up on the stand and was simply ambivalent to it. She didn’t care. ‘I guess I was mistaken. Oops.’ Now she says she’s mistaken, but how is it that a person can come in here and say they’re absolutely certain, absolutely certain, then change their story? Is that mistaken, or is that a lie? I put to you, it is a lie. It puts into question everything else (she) says. Absolutely everything.”
There was no evidence Purdy used force or coercion to have sex with the teen, Jean said. He referred to Purdy and the teen’s association as “an affair,” saying prosecutors were focused on the “disturbing” element of a man in his forties having a sexual relationship with a teen.
“Disturbing is not illegal,” Jean said. “You have to put aside any feelings that you have about that and render your verdict only on the evidence. Now thankfully, we don’t have just testimony in this case. We have some hard evidence.”
Text messages between Purdy and the victim from June 2014 seemingly show the victim describing the last four months with Purdy as “a privilege” and that they would “keep it up,” Jean said.
“They tried to explain away this message, but here it is in front of you, in black and white,” Jean said, holding poster boards with the messages on it.
Jean criticized the prosecution’s attempt to show the messages were evidence of Purdy’s control over his victim.
“This is a relationship,” Jean said. “This is what she felt she was in. This is exactly how someone in a relationship would talk.”
Jean said the victim also initiated text conversations with Purdy, on one occasion saying she missed him. In another exchange, Purdy asked the alleged victim how she felt about their conduct.
“If he cared only about control and he cared only about getting what was his, this message wouldn’t exist,” Jean said. “He wouldn’t care what she felt. He wouldn’t care what she thought.”
In another message, Purdy asked the teen if she was “100% in it,” Jean said.
“This tells you that this was always a consensual relationship,” Jean said. “It cannot be disputed.”
Jean further balked at the prosecution’s explanation that the teen had no choice but to go along with Purdy’s advances. He said the teen set boundaries for where the sex acts could occur, which Purdy adhered to.
“It is absolutely reasonable, given everything that you know now, that these messages are what they say,” Jean said. “It is reasonable to believe that because these messages say what they do, that everything that happened was consensual.”
The alleged victim was “craving attention” when she began having sex with Purdy and “sought him out just as much as he sought her out,” Jean said.
After the teen moved away from Michigan, she repeatedly drove 600 miles to continue having sex with Purdy, Jean said.
The victim testified she never told Purdy no, but that Purdy should have known she wasn’t interested in him based on her body language, Jean said. The victim also testified she was never in fear for her safety.
“That is not somebody who is being sexually assaulted,” Jean said. “Honestly, that’s going to be the number one thing: your physical safety. You’re being physically assaulted … yet she’s not afraid for her physical safety?”
Jean concluded by saying there is more than enough reasonable doubt for jurors to acquit Purdy.
“You might feel not good about it, but the reality is that all of the actual evidence, the physical evidence, points to exactly that this was a consensual relationship,” he said.
After Jean spoke, Walle briefly addressed the jury again. She disputed Jean’s assertion that her office had the 2014 police report in its position, saying it was only discovered during the trial through continuing investigation.
Walle said the victim made an honest mistake in recalling her age when the abuse began.
“What reason do you have not to believe the rest of her testimony?” Walle asked.
The text messages are not evidence of the victim’s consent to having a sexual relationship with Purdy, but of the depth of his control over her, Walle said. She encouraged jurors to look at how Purdy speaks to her in the texts.
“If he cared how (she) felt, he wouldn’t be having sex with (her),” Walle said. “He doesn’t care at all how (she) feels. What he’s doing in those text messages is making sure she won’t tell anyone.”
The idea that the victim made up the abuse allegations is “unreasonable at its core,” Walle said. “The easiest explanation for (her) trauma … is that the defendant is guilty.”
Upon Walle’s conclusion, visiting retired Sanilac County Circuit Judge Donald A. Teeple Jr. called for a brief recess before reading the jurors their instructions and sending them to begin deliberations.
Teeple dismissed the jurors for the weekend at about 6:15 p.m. Friday. They are to return to resume deliberating at 11 a.m. Monday, June 21.
Mother of alleged victim of sexual assault is witness for the defense
Tuscola County Advertiser, The (MI)
June 22, 2021
After a four-day hiatus, the trial for a former probation officer charged with sexual assault resumed Wednesday with a bombshell announcement.
Throughout the jury trial, the alleged victim of 49-year-old Ryan Purdy had stated that the abuse began when she was 15, shortly after an incident involving the police discovering her in a parked car with another boy. But Tuesday a police report from the Tuscola County Sheriff's Office was introduced which showed that the incident happened in February 2014, shortly after the alleged victim turned 16.
As a result, the prosecution dropped 40 of the 58 criminal sexual conduct counts levied against Purdy.
Prosecutors had said the alleged sexual misconduct between Purdy and the alleged victim – the daughter of his girlfriend – began in 2013 and ended in 2018 and occurred in Fremont and Millington townships.
The alleged victim testified that she wasn't lying, but rather didn't remember the timeline of events correctly. She said that all of the sexual acts between her and Purdy were not consensual.
Purdy was originally charged with 29 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and 29 counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Twenty counts of each were dropped – all of which allege Purdy had sex with the alleged victim before she was 16, which is the age of sexual consent in Michigan. He remains charged with nine counts each of first- and third-degree CSC – in which he's accused of having sex with the alleged victim after she turned 16, but committing the acts against her will.
Both first- and third-degree CSC involve penetration. First-degree CSC has a maximum penalty of life in prison while third-degree CSC carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
The trial began June 7 with jury selection, which lasted until about 5 p.m. June 8. The 10-woman, 4-man jury listened to opening statements and witness testimony June 9 and June 10 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Indianfields Township instead of the Tuscola County Courthouse to allow for more room for social-distancing. The trial picked up Wednesday at the courthouse. The public was not allowed to attend but the proceedings were broadcast on the Tuscola County Circuit Court YouTube channel.
The case is being presided over by Judge Donald Teeple, a longtime Sanilac County judge who is now retired. The state's case is being handled by Tuscola County assistant prosecutor Erica Walle.
The now-23-year-old alleged victim told investigators the alleged abuse lasted until late 2018, when she was away at college.
Defense attorney Brian Jean of Bay City hasn't denied that Purdy and the female had sexual relations. He says the two engaged in a mutual affair.
The alleged victim's mother, who is still in a relationship with Purdy, testified Thursday as the first witness for the defense. She explained that she, her husband and two children met Purdy and his family when they moved into her Millington Township neighborhood around 2009. The mother of the alleged victim had an affair with Purdy, and divorced her husband. She and Purdy have been together for about 10 years, she testified.
In earlier testimony, the alleged victim had told the jury she considered Purdy a father figure.
But both the alleged victim's mother, and Purdy's mother, whom the alleged victim lived with for a time, testified that wasn't the case, and that the relationship between the two was a friendship.
"He was a friend," the alleged victim's mother said. "He was never a father figure. She has a father."
Walle asked her if she thought it was odd that the longtime boyfriend of a teen girl's mother would be regarded as a friend inside of a parental figure.
"No ma'am," the alleged victim's mother replied.
Walle asked why she is testifying on behalf of Purdy, rather than taking her daughter's side.
"I am here on behalf of the truth ma'am," she said.
"You keep saying that, but you don't really know what the truth is do you?" Walle asked. "You weren't in that bedroom. How did it make you feel that your boyfriend had sex with your daughter in your bed?"
"Probably the way it would make anybody feel if someone had an affair, not very good," the victim's mother said.
The alleged victim's mother said she has since forgiven both Purdy and her daughter, adding that her and her daughter have only spoken once – on the telephone – since the daughter told Michigan State Police troopers in May 2019 that she was sexually assaulted by Purdy.
The alleged victim's mother, as well as Purdy's mother who also testified Thursday, contradicted testimony made earlier in the trial by witnesses for the prosecution, who claimed Purdy was in charge of making rules and disciplining the alleged victim, as well as calling her degrading names.
"I made the rules," the alleged victim's mother said.
Purdy's sister-in-law testified she heard Purdy call the alleged victim degrading names like "whore" or "slut" more than a dozen times. The alleged victim's mother and Purdy's mother testified they had never heard Purdy call the alleged victim a degrading name.
The three defense witnesses who testified Thursday – the alleged victim's mother, Purdy's mother and Purdy's brother – said they didn't see any behavior between Purdy and her daughter that they thought was odd. Even looking back and knowing what happened, the alleged victim's mother said she didn't see any signs suggesting a relationship between the two.
And all three witnesses testified no one ever came up to them and expressed they thought anything inappropriate or concerning was happening between Purdy and the alleged victim.
The alleged victim's mother said she believes her daughter and Purdy had a consensual affair, which was stopped by her daughter "because she felt guilty."
Purdy worked as a Saginaw County probation officer from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003.
Testimony in the trial wrapped up Thursday afternoon with the defendant not testifying. Friday morning, both attorneys presented closing arguments and the jury began deliberation.
Ex-probation officer found guilty of sexually assaulting teen girl, faces life in prison
MLive
June 22, 2021
CARO, MI — A Tuscola County jury has convicted an ex-probation officer of sexually abusing a teenage girl over several years.
Jurors in the trial of 49-year-old Ryan C. Purdy delivered their verdicts about 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 21, having begun their deliberations the previous Friday. They found Purdy guilty of nine counts: six counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Both degrees involve penetration, while first-degree is a life offense and third-degree is a 15-year felony.
After the verdicts were read, Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark E. Reene asked for visiting retired Sanilac County Circuit Judge Donald A. Teeple Jr. to revoke Purdy’s bond and have him jailed pending sentencing. Defense attorney Brian H. Jean objected to this but Teeple granted Reene’s request, citing the seriousness of the convictions.
Purdy’s trial began June 8, at which point he faced 58 charges related to his repeated sexual assaults of a teen between 2014 and 2018. During the trial, 40 of those counts were dismissed when it came to light the teen first had sexual contact with Purdy after she had turned 16, rather than 15 as prosecutors originally believed.
The age of consent for sexual activity in Michigan is 16. The defense argued during the trial that the teen consented to all sexual activity with Purdy, currently a Mayville resident.
The teen, now an adult, testified she had not consented to the acts, with the prosecution arguing Purdy had coerced her and held things over her head to get her to endure the abuse.
Purdy met the victim when she was between 8 and 10 years old. He developed a relationship with her mother, then began grooming the child for his sexual purposes, Reene said.
“The defendant’s behavior can accurately be described as ‘grooming’ which is defined as a situation where someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them,” Reene said. “This was the very approach adopted by the defendant.”
The victim’s mother testified on Purdy’s behalf in the trial and is maintaining a relationship with him, Reene said.
Reene commended the victim’s “extraordinary courage” in coming forward and testifying.
“It’s been a long journey,” Reene said. “The victim has suffered significant mental anguish as a result of what happened. This court process is the absolute best there is in the world, but it isn’t ever easy on any sexual assault victim. She remained resolute and wanted to see this through, to her credit.”
Reene also thanked the Michigan State Police personnel who conducted the investigation and the jurors who decided the case.
Purdy was charged in August 2019. His victim had filed a police report in May of that year after telling a confidant Purdy had been assaulting her. The victim was living out of Michigan at that time.
The defense was displeased with the jury’s verdicts.
“We are obviously very disappointed in the result,” Jean said of the jury’s findings. “The fact remains that the government was forced to dismiss 70% of their case because we were able to show Mr. Purdy’s accuser has very serious credibility problems. Nevertheless, we respect the jury’s verdict and thank them for their service.”
The Michigan Department of Corrections previously confirmed Purdy worked as a probation officer in Saginaw County from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003. Purdy was in law school when he was charged, but subsequently dropped out, Jean has said.
Teeple is to sentence Purdy at 9 a.m. on Aug. 10.
Former probation officer guilty of nine counts sexual assault
Tuscola County Advertiser, The (MI)
June 23, 2021
In a case that split a family, a jury sided with the victim Monday, finding a former probation officer guilty of nine counts of criminal sexual conduct.
Forty-nine-year-old Ryan C. Purdy, of Mayville, will face a possible punishment of life in prison when sentenced at 9 a.m. Aug 10.
Purdy, who worked as a probation officer in Saginaw County from 1995 through 2003, had been charged with 58 counts of criminal sexual conduct – 29 each of first – degree and third – degree – in connection to sexual assaults made against the daughter of his girlfriend of 10 years. Most of the counts – 20 of each – were dropped by the prosecution halfway through the trial.
When the 10-woman, two-man jury began deliberation Friday afternoon, jury members had to decide whether to find Purdy not guilty, or convict him of nine of the 18 remaining counts of CSC. Although he faced nine counts each of first- and third-degree CSC, Purdy, if found guilty, could only be convicted of nine crimes – as each first- and third-degree count were connected. After about seven hours of deliberation, the jury found Purdy guilty of six counts of first-degree CSC and three counts of third-degree CSC.
Both first- and third-degree CSC include sexual penetration. Conviction of first-degree CSC carries a maximum possible sentence of life in prison while third-degree CSC has a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The trial began June 8 with two days of jury selection, and continued with witness testimony June 10 and 11 at the Caro Knights of Columbus Hall in Indianfields Township – a larger venue than the Tuscola County Circuit Courtroom – which has more room for social-distancing. The trial resumed June 16 at the courthouse. Tuscola County assistant prosecutor Erica Walle and defense attorney Brian Jean of Bay City gave closing arguments Friday morning. The jury deliberated for about seven hours (five Friday and two Monday) before rendering its verdict a little after 1 p.m. Monday.
The trial was presided over by retired Sanilac County Judge Donald A. Teeple.
Prosecutors had said the sexual misconduct between Purdy and the victim began in 2013 and ended in 2018 and occurred in Fremont and Millington townships. The now-23-year-old victim reported the incidents to the Michigan State Police Caro Post in 2019.
Purdy was alleged to have begun the assaults when the victim was 15, and continued them until she was 18 and in college. The victim testified that the assaults started after an incident in which she was discovered in a car with a boy. She told jurors the incident happened shortly after her 15th birthday.
But during his testimony, the father of the victim said police responded to the incident – which had been the victim's point of reference for when the abuse started. The prosecution found a police report that stated the incident occurred in February 2016, shortly after the victim's 16th birthday.
The legal age of consent in Michigan is 16.
Since 40 of the CSC counts against Purdy were based on the notion that the victim was 15 at the time, the prosecution announced June 15 that they would be dropped. But the remaining 18 counts alleged Purdy had sex with the victim against her will, causing personal injury.
"There were 58 counts when you were seated as jurors. Forty of those counts, 70 percent of the government case, has been dropped. Why? In the middle of the trial … Why?" Jean said during closing arguments. "Because of a police report that's been in the possession of the Tuscola County Sheriff's Department for seven years. Presumably it's also been in possession of the prosecutor's office. That is incredibly significant."
Walle rebuffed Jean's accusation.
"Did the prosecution have a police report in its possession for the last seven years like the defense claimed?" Walle said to the jury. "Absolutely not. Absolutely not. That evidence was not known before (the victim's father testified). No witness had testified to that before."
The victim returned to the witness stand and told jurors she was not lying about the timeline, but rather didn't remember correctly.
"(The victim) told you very, very clearly that she was 15. She knew she was 15," Jean said during closing arguments. "No doubt. No doubt about that. It calls into question everything else the victim says, absolutely everything. There really is no evidence, other than her testimony, regarding any force, coercion, or its validity."
Jean admitted throughout the trial that Purdy had sex with the victim, but maintained she was at least 16 and the acts were consensual. The defense attorney said at the onset of his opening statement to the jury that "you're probably going to hear all kinds of evidence of how (Purdy) is this horrible, immoral person," Jean said. "I am going to tell you right here, right now, that Ryan Purdy is a sleaze."
Jean then told the jury it was not their responsibility to determine what kind of man Purdy is, but to decide if a crime was committed.
The victim testified that she never wanted to have a sexual relationship with Purdy, but was afraid that Purdy would leave her mother, putting her, her brother and mother in a dire situation. She also said she was fearful of the defendant punishing her by taking away her cellphone or car.
The remaining 18 counts against Purdy accused him of causing injury through his actions. In this case, Walle said, it caused the victim emotional pain.
"The mental anguish experienced by (the victim) has remained unchanged," Walle said. "The force or coercion that the defendant exercised on (the victim) in order to get the victim to engage in sexual acts with him has remained unchanged."
Some of Purdy's relatives, including two sisters-in-law and a niece, testified they thought the relationship between the victim and Purdy was odd while the victim's mother, who is still in a relationship with Purdy, testified she didn't know her daughter and Purdy were having sex until May 2019, about the same time the crimes were reported to police.
The victim's mother testified she believes the sex was consensual, and that she has forgiven both Purdy and her daughter. The victim testified that she hasn't spoken to her mother in about two years.
Purdy had been free on bond since his August 2019 arraignment. Teeple ordered that his bond be revoked and that he remain in the Tuscola County Jail until his sentencing.
Former Saginaw County Probation Officer Ryan Christopher Purdy
Sentenced to 15-30 years for CSC
Michigan Department of Corrections
October 11, 2021
Ex-probation officer gets 15-30 years in prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting teen
MLive
Oct 12, 2021
CARO, MI — A former probation is heading to prison for sexually abusing a teenage girl over several years.
Ryan C. Purdy, 49, on Monday, Oct. 11, appeared in Tuscola County Circuit Court before visiting retired Sanilac County Circuit Judge Donald A. Teeple Jr. for sentencing. The judge ended up sentencing Purdy to six terms of 15 to 30 years and three terms of 10 to 15 years in prison.
All nine terms are concurrent with one another. Teeple gave Purdy credit for 114 days already served in the county jail.
A jury in June found Purdy guilty of six counts of first- and three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
“With this case, it’s just the incredible toll it took upon the victim of sexual assault that was highlighted,” said Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark E. Reene, who lauded “the courage the victim demonstrated to continue forward despite all the challenges.”
Purdy did not apologize for any wrongdoing at the sentencing, commenting that he did not know what to say, Reene said.
“This defendant showed absolutely no remorse at any point in time, not before, during, or after what he did,” the prosecutor said. “That continued up until sentencing. Even if you disagree with the perception of what happened and how it happened, anybody can tell (the victim) was deeply, deeply impacted and harmed.”
Purdy’s trial began with him facing 58 charges related to his repeated sexual assaults of a teen between 2014 and 2018. During the trial, 40 of those counts were dismissed when it came to light the teen first had sexual contact with Purdy after she had turned 16, rather than 15 as prosecutors originally believed.
The age of consent for sexual activity in Michigan is 16. Defense attorney Brian H. Jean argued during the trial that the teen consented to all sexual activity with Purdy.
The teen, now an adult, testified she had not consented to the acts, with the prosecution arguing Purdy had coerced her and held things over her head to get her to endure the abuse. Purdy met the victim when she was between 8 and 10 years old. He developed a relationship with her mother, then began grooming the child for his sexual purposes, Reene said.
“She had her childhood taken away from her,” Reene said. “The place she should have been safest — her home — is where she was preyed upon.”
The victim’s mother testified on Purdy’s behalf in the trial and is maintaining a relationship with him, Reene said.
Defense counsel Jean said Purdy has maintained his innocence.
“Obviously, we were disappointed in the result, particularly after the prosecution was forced to dismiss 40 counts in the middle of trial when we uncovered a police report that proved inconsistencies in the complainant’s story,” Jean said. “We believe that that taboo nature of the matter played a significant role in the result.”
He said Purdy has begun the appeals process.
“We believe that the significant legal issues that occurred during the case — including negligence in obtaining and disclosing evidence — will be properly addressed in the appeal,” Jean said.
The Michigan Department of Corrections previously confirmed Purdy worked as a probation officer in Saginaw County from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003. Purdy was in law school when he was charged, but subsequently dropped out, Jean has said.
Former probation officer gets 15-30 years for sexual assault of girlfriend's daughter
Tuscola County Advertiser, The (MI)
October 13, 2021
A woman who, as a teen, was sexually assaulted "hundreds" of times by her mother's boyfriend according to prosecutors, had harsh words while delivering a victim impact statement at the man's Monday sentencing.
"You destroyed me and I will never forgive you for as long as I live," the victim told the perpetrator at the sentencing hearing, held in the Tuscola County Circuit Court room.
Retired Judge Donald Teeple, a former Sanilac County judge, sentenced 49-yearold Ryan Purdy to 15 to 30 years in prison. The Mayville man was convicted by a jury in June of six counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of third degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with abuse that began when the victim was 16 years old.
Prosecutors had said the sexual misconduct between Purdy and the victim began in 2013 and ended in 2018 and occurred in Fremont and Millington townships. The now23-year-old victim reported the incidents to the Michigan State Police Caro Post in 2019.
Purdy, who worked as a probation officer in Saginaw County from 1995 through 2003, had been charged with 58 counts of criminal sexual conduct – 29 each of first-degree and third-degree – in connection with sexual assaults made against the daughter of his girlfriend of 10 years. Most of the counts – 20 of each – were dropped by the prosecution halfway through the trial.
The jury had several options on each of the remaining 18 charges – finding Purdy guilty of first-degree CSC, guilty of second-degree CSC or not guilty, or a combination of the options.
Purdy's defense attorney, Bay City-based Brian Jean, argued during the trial that his client and the victim were involved in a consensual sexual relationship which began when the victim was 16 – the legal age of consent in Michigan. The state's team of Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene and assistant prosecutor Erica Walle contended that the sex wasn't consensual, and that the victim did not speak about it do to threat's made by Purdy.
During the trial, the victim's mother – who is still in a relationship with Purdy – testified on behalf of the defense. At Monday's sentencing, she sat with Purdy's supporters. The trial conveyed how Purdy's actions split the family, with most witnesses – such as Purdy's sister-in-law, former sister-and-law and niece – testifying in agreement with the victim's descriptions of Purdy's behavior.
On Monday, the victim opened her statement by saying, "The first thing I want to say is, I hate you for taking my innocence away at such a young tender age, for taking my mother away from me and turning her against me. You took everything from me."
The victim's mother shook her head multiple times during her daughter's statement.
"I used to look at you like a father. Someone I could love and trust," the victim said. "You were the opposite. You proved and showed what a sick monster you truly are. You loved me in the wrong way."
During the trial, the victim's mother said she forgave Purdy for what she considered an affair.
The victim's mother testified at the trial that she, her husband and two children (including the victim) moved into a Millington Township neighborhood near where Purdy and his family resided around 2009.
The victim's mother had an affair with Purdy, and she and her husband divorced. Purdy never denied having sex with the victim, saying, through his attorney, all of the sexual assaults were consensual.
And that made for an unusual allocution Monday, Jean said, while asking Teeple for a light sentence. "The court has the ability to go under guidelines or at the low end of guidelines and that is what we are asking for today," Jean said. "(Purdy) has absolutely no criminal history whatsoever. This is a man who by all accounts has been a productive member of society. His family is here supporting him today.
"It makes it very difficult to allocute by way of remorse or way of apologies because he maintains his innocence here."
When Teeple, who also presided over the jury trial, asked Purdy if he wished to speak on his own behalf, Purdy said, "I wouldn't know what to say."
Reene responded during the prosecution's allocution by saying, "I wouldn't know what to say? Well maybe even if he had one ounce of common human decency he could have said that 'Even though I view this situation differently, I'm sorry for what I did to you.'" Reene asked for consecutive sentences on two of the charges, meaning the prosecution wanted Teeple to sentence Purdy to double what was eventually ordered.
"It's significant that he's shown no remorse before, during, or after the acts that were perpetrated," Reene said Monday. "The defendant used (the victim) for his own deviant purposes."
Walle asked Teeple to consider the amount of assaults that took place in considering the sentence. She said that the number of counts brought against Purdy only scratched the surface of the actual number of sexual assaults that occurred, saying that number was in the "hundreds."
The prosecution asked the judge if it could play an audio recording of a phone call Purdy made from the county jail to the victim's mother on Sept. 29, prior to Monday's sentencing announcement. But Jean objected, saying the evidence had not been presented to him.
Teeple sided with the defense.
In the phone call, which an Advertiser reporter listened to, the victim's mother contradicted what she had said at the trial. During her testimony, the victim's mother said Purdy was not a father figure to the victim, but that her biological father filled that role.
But in the Sept. 29 phone call with Purdy, she tells him her son – the victim's younger brother – is struggling with the thought of Purdy going to prison. The victim's mother tells Purdy her son said he's "the only father figure I've ever known since I've been four years old and my whole life, gone. Everything I loved, gone, ripped away from me."
"Jesus Christ," Purdy replies. "Listen, do you realize what you just said?"
"Yes, you got ripped away from him, unjustly and unfairly," the victim's mother says. "I do know what I just said. He loves you. That should actually make you feel good."
"How do I say this?" Purdy says. "We're being recorded, that should tell you something. And why am I in here should tell you another thing."
"This is all just a (expletive) disgusting tragedy. I hope it's worth it for them in the end 'cause they have no idea who they messed with," the victim's mother says. "None."
"I think you missed what I was trying to say," Purdy says. "Just think about what you said. What they said to put me in here, who they said I was."
Purdy's trek through the Tuscola County justice system took more than two years. He was charged with the 58 CSC counts in August 2019.
The trial was pushed back multiple times due to delays and the COVID-19 outbreak. The original trial was scheduled for December 2019. Start dates in February, March and May 2020, respectively, didn't happen either. In January of this year, one day before the newest scheduling of the trial was to begin, the prosecution asked for another delay due to the discovery of new evidence.
Tuscola County Circuit Judge Amy Grace Gierhart denied the prosecution's request. At that point, the prosecution opted to drop all charges against Purdy.
The charges were reauthorized the following day and the justice process, in essence, started over.
During the trial, a bombshell announcement resulted in most of the charges being dismissed.
The victim testified that the assaults started after an incident in which she was discovered in a car with a boy. She told jurors the incident happened shortly after her 15th birthday.
But during his testimony, the father of the victim said police responded to the incident – which had been the victim's point of reference for when the abuse started. The prosecution found a police report that stated the incident occurred in February 2016, shortly after the victim's 16th birthday.
Since 40 of the CSC counts against Purdy were based on the notion that the victim was 15 at the time, the prosecution announced June 15 that they would be dropped.
Purdy had been free on bond between his August 2019 arraignment and the end of his June trial. When he was found guilty, his bond was revoked. Once he is released from prison, Teeple ordered Purdy to wear an electronic monitoring device for the remainder of his life.
Purdy is also to be listed on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry for the rest of his life. Jean said Monday that his client will appeal the jury's decision with the Michigan Court of Appeals.
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