Man ordered to year in jail for child sex crimes

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

Skiver

LUDINGTON — A 25-year-old man was sentenced to one year in jail for a child sex case in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court, May 6.

James Ratio Skiver pleaded guilty Feb. 25 to child sexually abusive activity, accosting a child for immoral purposes and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime.

The incident time range occurred from April 19 to June 6, 2024, according to Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Beth Hand.

“The prosecution was asking for prison time, and the court — based on the facts and circumstances of this case — sentenced him to a year in jail with a significant amount of monitoring post-incarceration.” The sentencing was a Cobbs agreement with the court, she said.

A Cobbs plea “authorizes the trial court, at the request of a party, to state on the record the sentence that appears appropriate for the charged offense, on the basis of information available to the court at the time (Cobbs, 443 Mich at 283),” according to courts.michigan.gov. “Even when a defendant pleads guilty or nolo contendere (no contest) to the charged offense in reliance on the court’s preliminary determination regarding the defendant’s likely sentence, the court retains discretion over the actual sentence imposed should additional information dictate the imposition of a longer sentence. If the court determines it will exceed its previously stated sentence, the defendant has an absolute right to withdraw the plea.”

Skiver was also ordered to serve five years probation and pay $862 in fines and costs. He received credit for two days served in jail. He is required to register as a sex offender, said Hand.

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