KALAMAZOO, MI (WTVB) – A Coldwater man was sentenced on Tuesday in one of three cases against him as a result of successful evidence testing through the Kalamazoo Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
Attorney General Dana Nessel and Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting announced that 29-year-old Brad Allen Risner was sentenced to between 10 and 22 years in prison, with credit for 252 days after he entered a guilty plea to third-degree criminal sexual conduct as a second habitual offender. He must also register as a sex offender and was ordered to not have contact with the survivor in the case.
Risner faces additional sexual assault charges in Jackson and Calhoun counties, which are also S.A.K.I. prosecutions. The plea resulted in Kalamazoo S.A.K.I.’s eleventh conviction in its handling of 11 cases thus far.
Special Assistant Attorney General Erin House read a victim impact statement during Risner’s sentencing Tuesday afternoon. “To the monster who now will live behind bars: I hope you enjoy it. You made my life hell for too long and today I win,” the statement said in part.
“Today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that we remain committed to securing justice for survivors who long thought they would never see their abuser held accountable,” Nessel said. “I’m proud of the work done by the Kalamazoo S.A.K.I. team to secure this conviction and I will continue to support the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office in this important initiative.”
“The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative work that is being done here in Kalamazoo is producing real and meaningful results,” Getting said. “This violent sexual predator being sent to prison will protect the citizens of Kalamazoo and other communities for years to come. It is certainly satisfying to me to know that we are making a difference.”
The victim in this case reported the assault in 2013, but the sexual assault forensic evidence kit was not submitted for testing as the case was deemed “he said, she said”. In 2016, as part of the state-wide testing initiative, the kit was tested and identified Risner as the suspect. He was the known suspect from the beginning.
Risner was charged by the Kalamazoo County S.A.K.I. in December 2019. Due to COVID-19, the criminal case was delayed until Risner entered his plea last month.
During the course of the Kalamazoo County S.A.K.I. investigation, investigators say they identified ten other women who alleged they had been sexually and/or physically assaulted by Risner between 2005 and 2018. Most of these alleged crimes had never been reported to police prior to the Kalamazoo S.A.K.I. investigation.
The Jackson and Calhoun County charges resulted from information learned during the Kalamazoo S.A.K.I. investigation.
Risner is scheduled to go on trial in Jackson September 28 on one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Calhoun County. That case is not yet set for trial.
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