The Michigan Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the conviction and sentence of Chippewa County
sex offender Shawn Alex Vert on August 24, 2023.
On March 17, 2022, Vert (age 35) was sentenced by the Honorable James P. Lambros of the 50th Circuit
Court in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to 35 years to 60 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections
following his conviction of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the 1st Degree by a jury of his peers. Mr. Vert had
eight prior felony convictions, including a separate Criminal Sexual Conduct conviction from 2002,
Distributing Sexually Explicit Material to Children in 2011, and multiple Sex Offender Registration Act
violations.
The Prosecutor’s Office would like to acknowledge and commend the victim for her courage and
cooperation. It takes a lot of bravery to stand up to an abuser. The Prosecutor’s Office also thanks
Detective Jeffrey Erickson and Deputy Jeffrey Kietzman of the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, for their
assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this matter. Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Giommi did
an exemplary job of presenting the case to the jury.
The fight for justice continues long after the jury’s verdict and a judge’s sentence. Today the Michigan
Court of Appeals unanimously agreed and held that the conviction and sentence of Mr. Vert to 35 years
to 60 years was legally sound. It is a win in the fight against sexual violence in our community. Mr. Vert
has a lengthy and troubling criminal history, and now will remain behind bars until at least 2057.
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“Eight prior felony convictions.” Why was this person still on the streets. It sounds like our justice system dropped the ball on this one.