Appeals Court Upholds Local Conviction

A Prosecutor’s fight for victims and justice doesn’t always end after a defendant’s conviction.

On August 11, 2022, Arthur Laundry Jr. was found guilty by a jury of his peers to criminal sexual conduct in the 3rd degree and criminal sexual conduct in the 4th degree. He was sentenced by Judge James Lambros in the 50th Circuit Court in Sault Ste. Marie on November 1st, 2022. He was sentenced to 217 months to 30 years in prison.

After proceeding through the appellate process, the Court of Appeals has affirmed the defendant’s conviction and sentence which was imposed by Judge Lambros. The defendant will serve the 217 months – 30 years.

The Prosecutor’s Office presented this case to the jury along with the assistance of Detective Sergeant Darrell Harp from the City of Sault Ste. Marie Police Department. The jurors heard from multiple witnesses who shared that in 2021, Mr. Laundry took advantage of a special needs individual and used predatory conduct to ultimately sexually assault her.

Most concerning about the case was that at the time of the offense in 2021, the defendant was on parole for the same crime against the same special needs victim. In 2012 (9 years prior) the defendant sexually assaulted this individual and was sentenced to prison. The Michigan Department of Corrections granted him parole in 2020, and by April of 2021 he once again gained access to the same individual and sexually assaulted that person again.

“The trauma Mr. Laundry has inflicted on our community is unacceptable and sadly this last crime could have been avoided.” said Prosecutor Robert Stratton. He went on to explain “this is part of a disturbing trend where the Michigan Department of Corrections is paroling violent offenders and sexual offenders at the earliest possible moment. Hopefully the Michigan Department of Corrections will learn from their mistakes and keep the Defendant for the full thirty years but based on the Department’s history it is not likely. Over the past four years, my office has received word of several individuals previously convicted of murder and sexual assault being released on parole in Chippewa County. The Department is not obligated to release them but is doing so regularly at this point. Unfortunately, that means that Chippewa County and the rest of the state will continue to see an increase in victimization of our citizens as more violent offenders are returned unnecessarily to the streets early. We will continue to do everything possible to fight for victims and hold offenders responsible, but it is important to note that my office can only prosecute after a crime has occurred. I am very thankful to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department, and the local MDOC parole agent who were able to intervene and remove this person from the streets as soon as the crime was detected to prevent any further assaults by this sexual predator.”

The Court Appeals Opinion can be found below.

https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/case-documents/uploads/OPINIONS/FINAL/COA/20250612_C363910_46_363910.opn.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawK6ZZhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFXNFJBMFluWlR6alBJWEN3AR6l_OfDD52iC8M6N01Wf3tFBaHtZ9Fz5gg0k1cL2BnqZ7VLvaUQ3hO6_1lntQ_aem_nRVbGCQJK6aW8ijUEsUPrg