Last month, Michael Paustian (53) was sentenced to eight years to life in prison for child sexual assault after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a six-year-old.
Paustian was the creative director at Group Publishing, a Christian company known for publishing curriculum for churches.
According to its LinkedIn account, Group Publishing specializes in “creating experiences that bring Children, Youth, and Adults into a closer relationship with Jesus,” which includes curriculum for “vacation Bible school, ministry resources, Sunday school resources, children’s resources, adult resources, and women’s ministry resources.”
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According to The Loveland Reporter-Herald, “Paustian pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault of a child from a position of trust for a victim under the age of 15 and sexual exploitation of a child, both class 3 felonies, in mid-May, according to a release from the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.”
“Several other charges, including seven other sexual assault charges, were dismissed in the plea agreement, according to court records,” The Loveland Reporter-Herald added.
Paustian won’t be eligible for parole until eight years of his sentence has been served. If released, Paustian will be required to complete 10 years of sex offender intensive supervised probation, will be a registered sex offender for life, will be required to receive approval to have access to the internet, won’t be allowed to have any contact with children unless approved, and will have to undergo both mental health and substance abuse evaluations.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office first learned of Pautsin’s abuse after the survivor, who is now an adult, brought allegations to authorities in September 2022. She was six years old at the time of the abuse.
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During their investigation, authorities learned that Paustian had not only admitted to sexually abusing the six-year-old but also that the survivor’s family members were aware of the abuse and never reported it.
The survivor gave a statement to the judge to be read during Paustian’s sentencing hearing.
“I did what I was supposed to do. I told multiple adults, but now I am here still having to advocate for myself and any other children that might be in harm,” the statement said. “I have waited 17 years to get justice for my 6-year-old self, and I can’t wait to bring her peace and justice.”
 was sentenced to eight years to life in prison for child sexual assault after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a six-year-old. Paustian was the Creative Director at Group Publishing, a Christian company known for publishing curriculum for churches.){kind=link}