DETROIT – A Wayne County sheriff's deputy was sentenced Monday for sexually molesting a young girl under the age of 13.
Sgt. Thomas Pedersen, 48, pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was sentenced to 42 months to 15 years in prison. He will have to register as a sex offender when he is released and will be under life-time electronic monitoring.
The victim’s mother spoke at the sentencing.
Pedersen was also given an opportunity to speak.
“It was the thoughts that race through my mind that I couldn’t get rid of,” Pedersen sobbed through tears. “It’s nobody’s fault but my own.”
Pedersen, 49, walked into the Dearborn Police Department on November 14, 2016, and told officers that he had done something terrible, authorities said. Prosecutors said Pedersen engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a girl younger than 13 for nearly six years.
Pedersen was originally charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Pedersen admitted to sexually molesting the girl, according to officials.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office issued this statement Nov. 17, 2017, saying that Pedersen had been suspended without pay:
"Pedersen was suspended without pay, his police powers have been suspended and his security clearance to enter any Wayne County Sheriff’s Office facility has been revoked. In order to avoid any potential conflict of interest, Pedersen will not be housed in the Wayne County Jail pending his next court appearance or the posting of bond; rather, he will be held in the Oakland County Jail.
"Pedersen may be subject to future disciplinary action predicated on the outcome of his trial and a review of the investigation conducted by the Brownstown Police Department.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and her family. Pedersen has been employed by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office since September of 1995, and he was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2012."
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