Ryan James Simmons, 36, Atlanta (MI) was sentenced to serve 30 to 90 years in prison for his conviction for first degree criminal sexual assault today in the 33rd Circuit Court.

In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Roy C. Hayes III said this case was “probably the worst case I’ve seen in my years on the bench.”

Simmons pleaded guilty on Nov. 2, 2021 to sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13.

At sentencing, the court heard from the survivor who said that Simmons had sexually abused her from the age of eight to 15 in Boyne City. She said that other children had also been abused by Simmons over the years and asked the court to send Simmons away for the maximum possible because otherwise “nobody will be safe from him, because predators like him don’t stop.”

Charlevoix County Prosecuting Attorney Allen Telgenhof said, “Though this case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mary Farrell, I was privileged to be in the courtroom for sentencing and hear this survivor stand up to the man who tormented her for so long and speak so eloquently and powerfully about her experience. It was very moving.”

The sentencing guidelines called for a minimum sentence of 126 to 210 months in prison, but Hayes exceeded those guidelines, indicating that they did not properly take into account the details of this case including Simmons threatening to kill the victim’s family members in front of her if she ever told anyone about his abuse.