GRAND HAVEN — An imprisoned Coopersville man who was granted a retrial on a criminal sexual conduct case instead opted to take a plea deal this month and was sentenced back to prison, the Grand Haven Tribune reports.
Stephen Chesla pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 in the Ottawa County 20th Circuit Court to assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct. Two charges — criminal sexual conduct in the first degree and criminal sexual conduct in the second degree — were dismissed.
Chesla was then sentenced on Jan. 11 to a minimum of 80 months, 6.6 years, and a maximum 120 months, 10 years, in prison, with 752 days credit. Upon release, Chesla will be required to register as a sex offender.
Chesla was previously convicted of criminal sexual conduct and sentenced to 25-40 years in prison in 2021 after his step-granddaughter accused him of touching her inappropriately.
In July 2023, the Michigan Court of Appeals granted Chesla a new trial on the grounds he did not have adequate legal representation. The appeal centered around an unredacted audio recording of an interview between Chesla and a detective.