Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
ATTORNEY DOUG Muskett gestures toward his client in Gogebic County Circuit Court Friday while making his closing argument to jurors in Matthew LaPlant's child abuse trial. The jury found LaPlant guilty of three felonies - two counts of second- degree child abuse and one count unlawful imprisonment.
BESSEMER - Matthew James LaPlant, 37, of Bessemer, will learn his fate at his sentencing next month after a jury found him guilty of three felonies in his child abuse trial in Gogebic County Circuit Court.
The jury deliberated for the better part of three hours Friday before finding LaPlant guilty of two counts of second- degree child abuse and one count of unlawful imprisonment.
While LaPlant was also charged with first-degree child abuse, Gogebic County Circuit Judge Michael Pope told jurors they had to choose between that charge and one of the two second-degree counts. The other second-degr...
