Saginaw Chippewa man sentenced to 14 years for attempted sexual abuse

Monday, January 28, 2019  

A citizen of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison in connection with a sexual abuse incident on the reservation in Michigan.

Charles Whitebear Merrill, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual abuse. He admitted that he tried to assault a woman while she was sleeping in a hotel room at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant.

During his sentencing last week, Merrill blamed his actions on alcohol, MLive.Com reported. But the judge pointed out that he has a history of sexual abuse.

“You’ve been through this situation with other victims before,”Judge Thomas L. Ludington asked in court on Thursday, MLive.Com reported. “How does that happen?”

The incident at the casino hotel occurred in March 2018, according to the indictment filed in federal court. Merrill also had been accused of attempting to abuse the same victim four years prior.

Additionally, federal prosecutors identified yet another incident of abuse, back in 2009, involving another victim. But these latter two charges were dropped as part of Merrill's plea agreement.

Sex offender tells judge ‘the only thing alcohol has ever done is destroy my life’ (MLive.Com January 28, 2019)