Today, Robert Allen DeClercq, a 72-year-old resident of Grosse Pointe, was found guilty by an Oscoda County jury on two counts of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct involving a person under 13. This offense carries the potential for a life sentence. The conviction was announced by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
The charges stem from an incident in 2020 when DeClercq assaulted a young female relative in the bathroom of his secondary home located in Fairview Township, Oscoda County.
Attorney General Nessel commended the victim's bravery and acknowledged the efforts of law enforcement and prosecutors. "This very young victim of sexual assault showed great courage in telling a trustworthy adult in her life what had occurred," said Nessel. "I am grateful for the jury, and the Michigan State Police for their investigative efforts, and those of my office’s prosecutors, who brought accountability and justice for this assault."
DeClercq faces a mandatory minimum sentence ranging from 25 years to life imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for August 18 at 11:00 a.m., presided over by Judge Cassandra Morse-Bills in the 23rd Circuit Court in Mio.