Stephen Fay Beeman, 79, is a prisoner in the Mower County Jail.

Friday, October 29, 1999

Stephen Fay Beeman, 79, is a prisoner in the Mower County Jail.

The granddaughter he admitted sexually molesting over a six-year period remains a prisoner of the memory of his abuse.

"It’s been a roller coaster of emotions. Up and down since we found out," said the victim’s mother. I finally realized there had been a death; the death of our daughter’s innocence. That’s gone forever."

Beeman’s guilty plea to multiple felony counts of criminal sexual conduct was accepted Thursday. The plea agreement calls for an immediate jail sentence, 25 years of supervised probation, while a 42-month prison sentence is stayed, and registering as a sex offender.

The victim’s mother wanted the defendant sent to prison and so did the victim. In a letter read aloud, in part, by the mother of the child, the victim said, "I want him in prison so he can’t hurt anyone anymore."

For more than 30 minutes Thursday afternoon in Mower County 3rd Judicial District Judge Michael H. Seibel’s courtroom, the mother told of her daughter’s ordeal at the hands of her biological grandfather. Alternately sobbing and crying aloud, the mother asked the court to sentence Beeman to prison.

During the hearing a sad story unfolded about how a grandparent betrayed his granddaughter’s trust.

"He claimed it was her fault and that she had come on to him and that the little girl was so sexy," the mother told the court, while the aged man sat silently at the defense table looking away from the voice.

Beeman, 79 years old, and his wife are parents of the ex-husband of the victim’s mother.

The mother of the victim told the court she sought to invite her ex-husband’s parents to get to know their estranged granddaughter.

"Grandparents are supposed to cherish and adore their grandchildren," the mother said. "This was a sweet, innocent, trusting little girl only five years old, who got caught up in a game of secrets and manipulation."

The mother learned of her daughter’s victimization on Mother’s Day this year. The victim had told her best friend what had been happening to her at her grandparents’ southwest Austin home near St. Mark’s Lutheran Home and the friend told her own mother who immediately called her.

"I will never forget how she fell apart right before our very eyes and collapsed," the mother said.

Beeman, who was represented by attorney Scott Richardson, was arrested after an investigation by detective Mark May of the Mower County Sheriff’s Department.

Beeman was interviewed June 24 and "indicated he had engaged in sexual contact with (the victim) but claimed (the victim) was sexy and had instigated sexual activity with him," according to the detective’s complaint filed in court.

The complaint detailed how the investigation revealed the numerous occasions when the grandfather touched the girl inappropriately.

The defendant was charged with three felony counts of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree and three more felony counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree.

In August, Beeman entered a plea of guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct charges and a plea agreement was made between Mower County Attorney Patrick A. Oman and Richardson’s client.

A pre-sentence investigation was conducted before Thursday’s sentencing.

Oman said aggravating factors existed in the case, meriting a departure from sentencing guidelines. However, Oman also indicated the victim’s mother and step-father "don’t want to go to trial because that would be devastating far beyond the damage already done."

Defense attorney Richardson concurred with Oman’s recommendations for sentencing, pointing out the pre-sentencing investigation revealed Beeman to be "remorseful and amenable to treatment" and that he did not, according to the evaluation, "appear to be a sexual predator."

The defendant told the court he is "awful sorry" for what happened and that he feels "ashamed." He promised "This will never happen again," and concluded, "I’m sorry for causing all this trouble for everybody."

Seibel then observed, "I’m not sure you fully understand what’s going on here or what pain you caused."

The judge quoted from the sexual offender’s evaluation of Beeman, which, in part, noted the defendant attempted to offer a "justification" for his actions, which Seibel interpreted as "excuses, if you will, for whatever you did and why you did whatever you did."

Seibel agreed with Oman’s declaration that aggravating factors exist in the case, including Beeman’s admission that he committed the acts over a five or six year period and that the victim was "particularly vulnerable as a child."

In addition, Seibel said the defendant’s position of "trust and authority" as a grandparent and that the offenses occurred all within his own home, resulted in "multiple aggravating factors."

In pronouncing sentence, the judge made a double duration departure from the 21 months stayed prison sentence to 42 months and 25 years of supervised probation. He then said he was going above and beyond the sentencing recommendations and sentencing the man to 90 days in jail.

Restitution of $1,547 was ordered immediately and additional amounts incurred by the victim’s family for counseling fees will be added later. Community service, plus surcharges and other court-related feels were also ordered.

Beeman was ordered to immediately enter a sex offenders program and to have "absolutely no contact whatsoever" with the victim, her mother, step-father, siblings or others and no contact with anyone under the age of 18 unless watched over by a trained supervisor approved by Beeman’s probation officer. He will also have to submit a blood sample for DNA testing and will have to register as a sex offender in the state of Minnesota.

After the completion of the hearing Beeman was escorted to the Mower County Jail to begin serving his jail sentence.