UPDATE 8/25/23
The Michigan Court of Appeals on Friday said it unanimously upheld the conviction and sentence of Chippewa County sex offender Shawn Alex Vert on Aug. 24.
On March 17, 2022, Vert, 35, was sentenced to 35 years to 60 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections following his conviction of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree by a jury. Vert had eight prior felony convictions, including a separate criminal sexual conduct conviction from 2002, distributing sexually explicit material to children in 2011, and multiple sex offender registration act violations.
The Michigan Court of Appeals held that the conviction and sentence of 35 years to 60 years was legally sound. Vert now will remain behind bars until at least 2057.
The original story from 2022 is below:
A 35-year-old Chippewa County man has been sentenced for criminal sexual conduct, according to the Chippewa County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Thursday, Shawn Vert, 35, was sentenced to 35 to 60 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections based on his conviction of one count criminal sexual conduct in the 1st degree.
Vert has eight previous felony convictions, including a separate criminal sexual conduct conviction from 2002, distributing sexually explicit material to children in 2011 and multiple Sex Offender Registration Act violations.
According to Chippewa County Prosecutor Robert Stratton, Vert was convicted by a jury of his peers following an three day trial in Oct. 2021.
Over a three-day period, jurors viewed approximately 13 pieces of evidence and heard from 10 witnesses who described the traumatic events that occurred on Aug. 11, 2020, when Vert took advantage of a relative who was in a vulnerable, unconscious state when he sexually violated her.
Stratton says the victim showed “tremendous strength and fortitude” as she described the events in detail, telling the jury she woke up during the sexual assault and tried to fight back but was held down by Vert, who continued the assault.
The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and recovered the victim’s torn clothing, then transported her to War Memorial Hospital for a rape kit to be completed, which established that Vert’s DNA was found on the parts of her body where she had described being assaulted. This was opposite Vert’s claim that he did not sexually assault her.
At sentencing, Assistant Prosecutor Kristin M. Giommi told the court that Vert was a sexual predator with a history of violating the law and posing a repeated danger to the community.
Vert was on parole at the time of the incident and had several prior violations both in and out of custody.
Giommi expressed that the only way to keep Michiganders of Chippewa County safe was to remove Vert from the community for as long as possible.
“It is very uncommon to receive an immediate call for help in a sexual assault case,” said Sheriff Michael Bitnar. “In our experience, disclosures of sexual assault happen months or years after the fact. Deputy Kietzman showed extreme compassion for the victim as he helped her process the shock she was experiencing having just dealt with the assault. Deputy Kietzman was later assisted by Detective Erickson who meticulously continued the investigation which ultimately led to Mr. Vert being arrested and convicted of this crime. I am very proud of the hard work done by both our office and the Chippewa County Prosecutors office, as these cases are some of the most important and difficult cases that we work on.”
“Today during the sentencing hearing, it was moving to witness the tremendous turn out of law enforcement officers and the Diane Peppler Resource Center staff in coming out to support the victim of this terrible crime. Officers from the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department, The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, and members of the TRIDENT task force all came to stand behind a woman who was doubted by her friends and family. It is not uncommon to see how a family can be divided by the criminal actions one member on another. This just goes to show how a community can come together and amplify one quiet voice so that her voice can be heard by all,” said Stratton.
Both the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office and the Chippewa County Prosecutor’s Office believe it is important for Michiganders to know that if they are ever sexually assaulted, they can go to the hospital for a rape kit.
The hospital will hold that kit for up to a year to give the victim time to decide if they want law enforcement to investigate their attacker.
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