Ann Arbor man to serve between 5 and 15 years for sexually assaulting teenager
An Ann Arbor man who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in August will serve between five and 15 years in prison.
David Putman
The teen, who AnnArbor.com is not naming because she is the victim of a sex crime, said in court Wednesday that she has been traumatized by the assault, suffering panic attacks and breaking into tears when she sees anything that reminds her of Putman.
“Anything can set me off,” she told Brown. “Whether it’s someone who looks like David or a song that reminds me of him.”
The teen, during a statement, accused Putman of sexually taking advantage of four other girls after giving them drugs. She asked Brown to sentence Putman to the maximum penalty, which was 15 years in prison.
Putman has been jailed since he was arraigned in late August on a $50,000 cash bond. He has a previous conviction for assault and battery and malicious destruction of property, according to records.
Putman said he had never meant to hurt the victim and apologized to her and her family for the incident. He described himself as being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and just emerging from a year-long, self-imposed exile from society at the time he met the victim.
He said he had learned his lesson that it’s inappropriate to pursue an adult relationship with underage girls and he recognized that he had moved too quickly.
“I have learned my lesson on approaching underage women and I am no longer a threat to society,” Putman said.
Putman said he was aware his actions were illegal, but failed to make the correct decision in the moment.
Brown said that recognition of wrongdoing played a part in his sentence.
“You knew (the victim) was 15 and you knew that was improper,” he said to Putman.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Sallyxyz
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:12 a.m.
Tell me how this works: one count of third degree criminal sexual conduct gets 5-15 years. I just read about attempted murder and the gory details of what this the thug (Ricky Rice) did to the victim, who was seconds away from death, and he gets 19 months to 4 years???? Something is very wrong with this picture of justice and sentencing. Nothing wrong with 5-15 years for Mr. Putnam, but something is very wrong with Mr. Rice getting 19 months to 4 years for nearly killing someone. Can someone please explain?
RJA
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 5:20 p.m.
Whether this man has learned a lesson or not, he needs to spend time in jail...I would like to see the total of 15 yrs. served.
WalkingJoe
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 3:07 p.m.
I for one am getting tired of people using the bipolar defense for any wrong doing. My father was bipolar and while he was not a pleasant man he never committed a sexual attack or any other violent act even when he went into a manic state. There are others in my family who have been diagnosed with this disorder and they to are not violent. In my opinion bipolar has become the catch all for people to not take responsibility for their actions.
actionjackson
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 3:05 p.m.
Now you have not one but two people facing mental illness. The victim in this case will be traumatized whenever she sees or hears music of a certain nature and the culprit that has not been treated in a past incarceration. What will it take to stop the multiplication of convicted CSC offenders vs. the current well balanced individual.
Peter
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 2:01 p.m.
Mental health care in this country is terrible, which is relevant to every portion of this story. Better care can prevent crimes from happening, and better care can help victims deal with the harm done to their health. Particularly in sexual assault cases, where PTSD and anxiety disorders occur so frequently in the victims.
Jim Osborn
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 12:41 p.m.
He belongs in jail, having committed a crime much more serious than that which has allegedly been committed by the UM medical doctor, having assaulted an actual victim. If he is indeed mentally ill, our system is ill equipped to deal with him, just releasing him after a few years, where he can become a repeat offender and another poor girl may have her life ruined. Will there be a mental health component part of his eventual parole? Unfortunately, no.