MARSHALL (WKZO AM/FM) — A Calhoun County man who entered a no-contest plea to sexually assaulting a 74-year-old woman has been sentenced to prison for 17 to 50 years.
State Police say 52-year-old Eric Johnson of Marshall broke into the elderly woman’s home in January of last year while she was sleeping and forced himself on her in her bed.
The elderly woman gave a victim impact statement in court yesterday, saying the assault had left her traumatized, afraid to leave home and in need of counseling.
He apparently had befriended the woman before the assault, and she was able to identify him as her attacker.
He entered the plea in exchange for having additional charges dropped. The judge noted that had this gone to a jury trial, he would have likely gotten a much longer sentence.
