LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Gwinn man will spend decades in prison for criminal sexual conduct and child abuse.
43-year-old Jeffrey Scott Barrett has been sentenced by Judge Susan Sniegowski of the 51st Circuit Court in Oceana County to 50 to 75 years’ incarceration on four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Barrett was also sentenced to 20 to 50 years’ incarceration for one count of first-degree child abuse. The sentence was ordered to be served consecutively to the 50- to 75-year sentence ordered for the criminal sexual conduct convictions.
Barrett was convicted by an Oceana County jury in June for repeatedly sexually assaulting the victim in 2010 and 2011, when she was 4 and 5 years of age. During the same time period, Barrett also abused the child in other ways, knowingly or intentionally causing severe mental harm. Barrett was originally charged by the Oceana County Prosecutor’s Office in 2018, when the victim reported the abuse, but he evaded authorities until his arrest by the U.S. Marshals Service in Marinette, Wisconsin, in January 2025. Barrett was extradited to Oceana County in April 2025 under Operation Survivor Justice.
“This significant sentence is a testament to the life-changing impact of Operation Survivor Justice,” Attorney General Nessel said. “It delivered the justice this young victim has deserved for more than 15 years, bringing her and her family the healing, closure, and peace that was stolen from them for far too long. This outcome only reinforces our commitment to working with our partners to apprehend fugitives and hold them accountable for their heinous crimes.”
The victim in this matter provided a victim impact statement to the Court that read in part, “For the first time in 15 years, I feel like that little girl who was once scared and confused can finally breathe. The verdict didn’t erase what happened or give me back the childhood that was taken from me, but it gave me something I had been searching for so long — it gave me validation. It reminded me that my voice matters, that the truth matters, and that what happened to me was real. Today, I carry hope, strength, and peace, knowing that I stood up not only for myself, but for the little girl who couldn’t. I am no longer the scared little girl who didn’t understand what was happening to her. I am a woman who found her voice, chose courage over silence, and refused to give up. This isn’t the end of my story — it is the beginning of my healing.”
Operation Survivor Justice is a partnership between the Michigan Department of Attorney General, local county prosecutors, and the U.S. Marshals Service to locate, apprehend, and return to Michigan fugitive offenders with outstanding sexual assault warrants.
