By ANGEL PACHECO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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| Michael Norris | | COURTESY PHOTO |
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February 28, 2014 6:48 AM
A man who after living in Costa Rica for about six years surrendered himself to U.S. authorities in connection with molesting a child relative in Carpinteria, was sentenced to three years in state prison Thursday.
Michael Norris, 69, last month admitted to child molestation in a plea deal with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office. He was initially facing as many as 16 years behind bars.
Authorities say Mr. Norris molested the girl from 2003 to 2006 while he was living in Carpinteria. The victim is now 15.
Having been in custody since he surrendered at Los Angeles International Airport Feb. 14, 2013, Mr. Norris came before Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge James Voysey for the brief hearing.
Sheriff's deputies escorted Mr. Norris, whose neck was wrapped in a brace, into the courtroom Thursday and seated him next to his attorney Robert Landheer before soon sending him on his way to begin the sentence.
There were no speakers who addressed the court.
In addition to the prison time, Mr. Norris will have a strike on his record and must register as a sex offender for life.
Mr. Landheer told the News-Press that Mr. Norris has been suffering from disabilities in jail, where he has had trouble getting medical treatment. For the sake of all of the parties, they agreed this was the best resolution, said Mr. Landheer.
As part of the plea deal, Deputy District Attorney Benjamin Ladinig dismissed allegations of continuos sexual abuse of a child, exhibiting pornographic materials to a child and attempted aggravated sexual assault. The prosecutor said the last allegation had some "issues of proof."
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Mr. Ladinig admitted the outcome wasn't perfect, but it's suitable, as Mr. Norris could have gotten off with just probation. Probation officials would have taken into account that Mr. Norris has no criminal history, is in poor health and his age, said Mr. Ladinig.
Mr. Norris also voluntarily surrendered himself rather than making authorities go through the extradition process.
"We do take that into account," Mr. Ladinig said.
Probation contacted with the victim's mom and dad, who wanted a more significant punishment for Mr. Norris, said Mr. Ladinig. Although he acknowledged the parents' wishes were reasonable, Mr. Ladinig said given the totality of the circumstances, he thought the settlement was appropriate.
A trial would also have been disruptive to the victim's life, said Mr. Ladinig.
In an email to the News-Press, the girl's father said, "We absolutely abhor the light sentence."
"My daughter was subjected to many years of his sexual abuse and will forever carry the scars of that abuse," he wrote in a letter to the court. "She has only recently shown signs of healing knowing that her abuser has been in jail while awaiting trial. My fear is that she will have a major setback knowing Mr. Norris could be set free in only a matter of months."
The girl has already suffered a recent breakdown after being reminded about Mr. Norris, he said. The girl's father is planning on filing a civil lawsuit against Mr. Norris.
The victim reported the crimes six years after they happened, and detectives began investigating in February 2012 and obtained an arrest by the end of that year.
Mr. Norris moved to the farm town of Quepos, Costa Rica, in 2006, and Mr. Landheer negotiated with authorities for his surrender. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department worked with U.S. officials in Costa Rica, who monitored Mr. Norris and ensured that he boarded a direct flight to the U.S.
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