NORTHAMPTON — For the second time in two months, a Florence man was in a courtroom Wednesday answering to charges he sexually assaulted a child.
In December, a jury convicted Stanley J. Michalski of child rape, among other charges. This time, however, Michalski opted to bypass a trial.
On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty in Hampshire Superior Court to forcible rape of a child, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child younger than 14 and open and gross lewdness.
Michalski, 32, was previously sentenced to 20 to 25 years in state prison plus 10 years probation. In the plea deal presented to the judge Wednesday, he would receive no additional prison time.
The assaults in this case occurred between June 2006 and December 2008 at Michalski’s Florence Road home, Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Linda Pisano said. The girl, who is now 17, also appeared in court Wednesday to offer a victim-impact statement, as read by Pisano. The Gazette generally does not identify victims of sexual assault.
Pisano told Judge Mark Mason that the young victim in this case didn’t necessarily want him to add time to Michalski’s considerable prison sentence.
What the young girl wanted, the prosecutor said, was for Michalski to take responsibility and spare her from having to relive the abuse during a trial. What she didn’t want was to sit through in court was about how Michalski lured her with the promise of candy — multiple times over a span of two years — and then sexually assaulted.
Pisano also said that authorities uncovered photos of the victim, as well as photos of other minor children, stored away in a safe in Michalski’s bedroom.
Defense counsel David Mintz described Michalski as “very hardworking.” As a former landscaper and handyman, Mintz told the judge, “the best parts of his day came when he was outdoors and working.”
“This recommendation was extensively negotiated,” Mintz said. “I think it’s appropriate given the circumstances.”
The girl sat beside Pisano in court as the prosecutor read from her statement. Tears fell from her face onto the wooden table where she was seated.
“When I have anxiety with my friends, I keep it to myself. Sometimes, it makes me feel like I’m not being a good friend … other times I feel like life is pointless,” Pisano read from the girl’s letter.
She continued:
“I usually come to school in a good mood, but sometimes I get mad at myself because I want to have a good day, but I can’t.”
Pisano also walked the court through the girl’s sleeping troubles, and how she wakes up almost nightly in a panic.
“Because sometimes, I have bad dreams,” she said. “I do remember them, but I don’t want to talk about them. I lay in my bed, and I try and fall back asleep … It feels like nothing is going to get better for a long time.”
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com