NORTHAMPTON — A convicted sex offender was sentenced Tuesday to 9 to 11 years in state prison after violating the conditions of his probation by sexually assaulting another child and contacting six other children, the Northwestern district attorney’s office reported.

Michael Hunt, 53, of Ware, had been convicted in Franklin and Worcester Superior courts in 2002 for several sex offenses on four young boys, for which he served approximately eight years in prison, according to the DA’s office.

He was then civilly committed for an additional five years at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater after he was declared a sexually dangerous person.

Hunt was released in March 2014 to serve 15 years on probation as a registered sex offender.

In March 2023, the DA’s office stated, the Ware Police Department filed criminal charges after a boy reported that Hunt had sexually assaulted him in 2018, when the boy was 10 years old.

This triggered a probation violation hearing in Hampshire Superior Court that spanned three days in August and September, during which 11 witnesses testified, including the boy.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Hampshire Superior Court Judge Jane Mulqueen ruled that Hunt had violated his probation by sexually assaulting the boy and engaging in prohibited contact with six different children in Ware and Oakham between 2016 and 2023.

Assistant District Attorney Andrew Covington joined the court’s Probation Department in requesting that Hunt be sentenced to 12 to 16 years in state prison.

Northampton defense attorney David Mintz recommended a state prison sentence of four to five years, followed by five years of probation.

Mulqueen revoked Hunt’s probation and sentenced him to nine to 11 years in state prison. Prior to his release from state prison, the district attorney’s office will have the option of filing a sexually dangerous person petition against Hunt, which could result in his indefinite commitment to the Massachusetts Treatment Center.

Hunt still faces open charges in Eastern Hampshire District Court for one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years and intimidation of a witness relating to the incident in Ware from 2018 involving the 10-year-old boy. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

“The survivor showed tremendous courage coming forward and testifying in court,” Covington said in a statement.

He also credited Ware and Oakham police departments for their efforts on the case.