WHITE CLOUD, Mich. — The former police officer accused of sexually assaulting a child turned down a plea deal that would have reduced his sentence to just a decade behind bars.
Ryan Dornbos appeared in a pre-trial hearing Tuesday where the ex-officer confirmed he will not plead guilty as part of a proposed deal with the prosecution. The offer led Dornbos to waive a hearing last week.
Charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct involving a child under the age of 13, Dornbos faces potential sentences of 25 years for each charge that would be served consecutively. That would put him in prison for 50 years.
Local News
FOX 17 Investigates: Docs detail ex-officer's disturbing sex crimes accusations
The offer from the prosecutor would have limited Dornbos' sentence to 10 years, if he pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sexual conduct.
A former police officer in Newaygo and Big Rapids, Dornbos is accused of sexually assaulting a child multiple times over a period from January 2018 through June 2023. The allegations came to light when the child told another adult about the assaults during a New Year's Eve party.
Dornbos was put on administrative leave one day later.
Newaygo
FOX 17 Investigates: 300+ pages of former officer's personnel file in Newaygo
Tuesday the judge announced his trial is scheduled to start on January 27. Both the prosecution and defense told the judge they planned to file several motions in the case which may impact the start date.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
