Chippewa County has three fewer predators following sentences handed out by Judge James Lambros of the 50th Circuit Court.
William David Brice II, 44, from Sault Ste. Marie, previously plead guilty to three counts of Child Sexually Abusive Activity. He was sentenced on March 14, 2023 to 20 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections and is eligible to go before the Parole Board after 4.5 years. This case was handled by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristin Giommi with the assistance of Special Agent Todd Wilton of Homeland Security Investigations. Special Agent Wilton started an investigation into Brice after discovering he had sexual relations with a minor who was being trafficked in the area. An undercover operation led to Brice making arrangements to meet with three minor children ages 17, 13 and 10 at a local hotel for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse and producing child pornography. Brice was apprehended by law enforcement at the local hotel. He had brought Barbie dolls and candy for the 10-year-old child. At his sentencing hearing, Giommi told the Court “Mr. Brice is the kind of man that keeps parents up at night worrying. He is exactly the type of predator that needs to be off our streets.”
Benjamin Simpkin, 42, from Sault Ste. Marie, previously plead guilty to one count of Child Sexually Abusive Activity and one count of Lying to Police in a Felony Investigation. He was sentenced on March 14, 2023 to 20 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections and is eligible to go before the parole baord after 3 years. This case was handled by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristin Giommi with the assistance of Detective Sergeant Jeffrey Erickson of the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Simpkin’s arrest was made following a human trafficking task force operation in which detectives were posing as minors online. Mr. Simpkin was arrested after he arranged to have sex with a minor, and showed up to the hotel. At his sentencing hearing, Prosecutor Giommi told the court “it was clear this wasn’t Mr. Simpkins first time arranging for sex online. He arrived with only the cash he needed in his pocket, he knew the lingo used, specifically QV meaning “quick visit”, he knew to leave his phone and wallet in the car, he knew to delete the app used prior to going into the hotel, and he knew that law enforcement posing as minors online could not send nude photos, and he requested a photo of a private part in order to ensure the minor was not a cop.” In short, Simkin demonstrated an intimate knowledge of how to engage a minor-child in prostitution, and thankfully Detective Erickson and the undercover law enforcement team prevented the defendant from victimizing a child on that day.
Micah Rickerd, 24 of Munith, previously plead guilty to one count of Child Sexually Abusive Activity and one count of Lying to Police in a Felony Investigation. He was sentenced on September 27, 2022 to 20 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections and is eligible to go before the parole board after 3 years. This case was handled by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristin Giommi with the assistance of Detective Ryan Hering of the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Rickerd’s arrest was also linked to the human trafficking task force, after he made arrangements to have sex with an underage minor at a hotel.
“The scary thing about these three individuals was their lack of criminal history.” Prosecutor Robert Stratton explained. “These people were not on our radar and yet they were out lurking to prey on our children. Take these cases as a reminder to talk to your children about social media safety and the importance of never sending inappropriate pictures or content to strangers online.” The Chippewa County Prosecutor’s Office would like to thank the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office for setting up the human trafficking task force, and for the combined effort of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department, Sault Tribe Police Department, TRIDENT task force, Homeland Security and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.
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3-4.5 ??? Then eligible for parole. Absolutely disgusting!! Most definitely not enough time.
I don’t understand. Did they bring back goodtime? Like how in the F*** is that dude gonna have an opportunity to get out in a few years, huh? Michigan is really going to the birds. Lansing……you suck.
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