Judge: Gagetown man treated victims ‘worse than animals’

A Gagetown man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in a case identified by Tuscola County Circuit Court Judge Amy Grace Gierhart as the worst one she’s seen in her career.

Chris Harp, 43, Gagetown, was sentenced to between 80 months and 120 months in prison after he pleaded no contest to six counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.

Because of the plea agreement, a trial wasn’t held and many of the details were only seen by Judge Gierhart, Mark Reene, prosecutor, Tuscola County, and individuals from the many organizations involved in the investigation, including the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Graphic details of the case file — many involving sexual abuse and multiple victims — were reflected by Judge Gierhart’s comments made immediately prior to her sentencing during which Harp stood before the court and often shook his head in disagreement.

“I have done this for 22 years. I don’t think in 22 years I have ever seen a case that is this bad where one human being has treated other fellow human beings…as worse than animals,” Gierhart said. “You can shake your head all you want. It doesn’t matter because this is my turn. (Read more)

(This story originally appeared in the June 29, 2016 print edition of The Tuscola County Advertiser and can be read online here.)