Dalton Riley Duquette, 27, of Marquette, was sentenced to prison with the Michigan Department of Corrections on Tuesday after having been convicted of two counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Third Degree against two different Victims.
His sentences will run concurrently to each other, with a minimum sentence of 7 years 11 months to a maximum sentence set by statute of 15 years.
He will not be eligible for parole until he has served his minimum sentences. He will also be required to register as a sex offender on Michigan’s public registry for the rest of his life.
In the first case, Duquette pled No Contest to Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Third Degree based upon his admission that he committed acts of sexual penetration against a 14-year-old female whom he was in a position of authority over at the time. While out on bond on the first case, Duquette committed another act of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Third Degree, based on force or coercion, against an adult female acquaintance. Duquette also pled No Contest to this offense. Under Michigan law, and upon entry of his pleas on October 6, 2023, Duquette’s bond was revoked, and he was remanded to the custody of the Marquette County Jail because one of the offenses involved an act of sexual violence against a minor.
Duquette remains in the custody of the jail until his transfer to the Michigan Department of Corrections to serve out the remainder of his sentence.
According to Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney Jenna Nelson, a No Contest plea is treated the same as a Guilty plea, and her office had sufficient evidence to prove both of these convictions beyond a reasonable doubt.
Also according to Nelson, the evidence in these cases included Duquette’s admission to sexually molesting a 14- year-old female he was in a position of authority over and entrusted to protect, DNA evidence that established Duquette sexually assaulted the female acquaintance after he denied the assault, and the testimony of both female Victims if the cases had gone to trial. Both Victims were involved in discussions concerning the plea agreements on the cases and were relieved that they would not have to testify at a jury trial to their victimization at the hands of Duquette.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Jill Hoffman and Hailey Kimball-Dexter worked on both of Duquette’s cases.
Nelson stated, “I am proud of the work of my office in taking these types of cases seriously, working closely with survivors of sexual assault, and seeking justice. In both of these cases, Duquette took advantage of Victims who were in vulnerable positions. He will now spend years paying the penalty for violating their dignity. I commend the Survivors in these cases for persevering throughout the pendency of the court process, standing up for themselves, and fighting to ensure that Duquette was held accountable for what he did to them.”
The first case was investigated by Captain Lowell Larson of the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from Child Protective Services, and the second case was investigated by Detective/Sergeant Michael Archocosky of the Marquette City Police Department.
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