A former Northern Michigan educator is headed to prison for sex crimes involving children.
Former Kinsley middle school principal Karl Hartman will spend the next three to five years in prison for three counts of assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct in the second degree.
Hartman worked in Kingsley schools for more than thirty years, and in that time, eight people say they were molested, assaulted or inappropriately touched by Hartman when they were young boys.
and admitted to assaulting two of them on three occasions.
Thursday, four of those survivors grieved over a loss of innocence and a betrayal of trust at the hands of someone once respected as a pillar in Kingsley.
The first survivor to speak was friends with Hartman’s son, which is how he says the grooming started. He spent many nights hanging out with both of them, and even accompanied them on hunting trips to Alpena. He started noticing Hartman making perverted jokes, but it didn’t stop there.
“His next step was introducing me to alcohol when I was only 14,” said one of the survivors.
Soon, he began drinking and smoking marijuana with Hartman regularly. During visits to the home, he says Hartman asked him to do things he wasn’t comfortable with.
“At Karl’s request, we exposed ourselves to him. After this happened, Karl stated that was all that he needed and proceeded to go to his room for the rest of the evening,” he said. On a different occasion, Hartman slapped his butt. “Karl told me to go to bed before he did something that he shouldn’t.”
The torment has left wounds that have hurt for years.
“This has caused me great pain. Many issues with depression, mental anguish, and has lasted for me years. And still does to this day,” he said.
At Thursday’s sentencing, two mothers also spoke on behalf of their sons.
“Every day I walked down to that school to pick up my kids, never once suspecting that he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said one mother.
“You can imagine the guilt, the sadness and the anger after trying to do everything right but you failed as a mother,” said another mother.
Grand Traverse County assistant prosecutor Kyle Attwood says Hartman’s violations go beyond just crimes.
“It amounts to the ultimate violation of body, spirit and mind,” said Attwood.
13th Circuit Court Judge Kevin Elsenheimer says the guidelines for sentencing of these crimes is seven to 23 months, but he felt Hartman deserved different considerations
“To abuse that position against those that are truly innocent, our children, is an abuse that is simply not fully recognized by the guidelines,” said Judge Elsenheimer. “Further, I have seen on this record no statement of remorse. This record is void of any recognition on [Hartman’s] part.
Hartman will be in prison for 36 to 60 months and will have to pay more than $2000 in fees and fines.
“Whatever sentence the court order today will not be commensurate to the life sentence that these victims are going to have to suffer,” said Attwood.
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