Deakin Sentenced to Prison for Sexual Assault of a Minor

A Laramie man is headed to prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a special needs child over several months in 2015.

Judge Jeffrey Donnell sentenced 20-year-old Jonathan Michael Deakin Wednesday in Albany County District Court to 10-18 years in prison on count one and 25-40 years in prison -- suspended in lieu of 30 years of supervised probation -- on count two.

Deakin was originally charged with 10 counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree.  He pleaded guilty to two of those charges and in exchange, the prosecution agreed to drop the remaining counts.

"You will be either in prison or under supervision for most of the rest of your adult life," said Donnell.  "Mess it up, and you do twenty-five to forty."

Court documents say that a Laramie police officer went out to the Pilot gas station to investigate a report that Deakin was suspected of molesting a child with special needs.

In an interview with police, Deakin admitted to sexually assaulting the victim whenever he had an opportunity.  The affidavit says Deakin told police he sexually assaulted the victim once each week for a period of about three and a half months.

The victim's mother made a statement Tuesday before Judge Donnell sentenced Deakin.

"My kids are continuing to heal, but it's going to be a lifetime of affecting my special needs child and problems at school," she said.

Defense attorney Candace Pisciotti requested that Deakin be placed in one of Wyoming's three adult community corrections facilities.  Prosecutor Kurt Britzius made it clear that the state had no interest in having Deakin anywhere but behind bars.

"Mr. Deakin committed crimes that are horrible," said Britzius.  "This is a case where rehabilitation is not the state's primary concern -- it is the protection of the community."

Judge Donnell agreed.

"What you did here deserves prison, and the public needs protection from you," Donnell told Deakin.

"You are a dangerous man, Mr. Deakin, whether you see it that way or not," said Donnell.  "You need not to be out in public, and that's the bottom line."