Courts
Elroy man turned down by appeals court; 36 convictions on sex assaults against children are upheld
Complaints about procedural problems in a Monroe County sexual assault case are not enough to overturn the convictions against an Elroy man, sentenced to 220 years in prison.
Forty-four-year-old Michael Dewey was tried and convicted in 2016 of repeatedly molesting two children. Dewey was found guilty on 36 total counts, including sexual assault, child enticement, and exposing himself.
The 4th District court of appeals says Dewey did not prove that alleged errors at the trial or in preparing his defense were serious enough to reverse his convictions.
Dewey argued that his defense attorney failed to object to an alleged error in jury instructions, and that many of the counts against him should have been dismissed. The appeals judges ruled that the amount of time Dewey was given to prepare a defense was reasonable, and that his convictions should not be reversed because of a mistake in jury instructions.