jriddle@thealpenanews.com
News Photo by Julie Riddle
Jeremiah McLean waits beside attorney Ron Bayot in Alpena’s 26th Circuit Court on Tuesday. McLean pleaded no contest to raping a minor.
ALPENA — A man will spend at least 10 years behind bars after accepting a plea deal in the sexual assault of an Alpena teen.
Though declaring himself innocent, Jeremiah McLean on Tuesday pleaded no contest to accusations that he bound, raped, and strangled a 15-year-old girl at an Alpena cemetery in June.
The News does not identify victims of sexual assault.
At the request of the girl’s family, Judge Ed Black sentenced McLean to 10 years in prison, far short of the 18 years recommended by the Michigan Department of Corrections and the life sentence possible with a first-degree rape charge.