A 28-year-old Colorado Springs man has been given 14 to 22 years in prison for sexually assaulting a girl in Lincoln County in 2006.

Stephen Schaetzle appeared in Lincoln County District Court on Monday for sentencing, after a jury convicted him in March of first degree sexual assault of a child.

Prosecutors say Schaetzle had non-consensual sex with his 14-year-old female cousin at a North Platte motel in 2006, when he was in town for a family gathering.  Schaetzle was 20-years-old at the time.

Prior to sentencing, Deputy Lincoln County Attorney, Tanya Roberts-Connick, asked for a substantial prison sentence, saying that this was also the wish of the victim in the case.

She argued that there were no mitigating circumstances for the court to consider, adding that the victim had been traumatized while the case went through the legal process.

Schaetzle’s attorney, Michael Nozicka, said Schaetzle disagrees with the judgement of the jury, and asked the court to consider that Schaetzle had served five years in the United States Navy, and five years in the United States Naval Reserve.

He also noted that Schaetzle had been involved in his Colorado Springs community, and had served as a youth sports coach.

While not minimizing the severity of the crime and its impact on the victim, Nozicak stated that Schaetzle had never been convicted of any crime, and had been determined to be a low risk in nearly every category of the pre-sentence investigation.

After Schaetzle declined to address the court, Lincoln County District Court Judge, Richard Birch, handed down the sentence.

Judge Birch stated that he had reviewed the pre-sentence investigation, and noticed that Schaetzle had many people who “supported him a lot” that had submitted letters of support.  However, he said he had also received many letters on the victim’s behalf that painted a different picture.

Birch said that Schaetzle continues to deny responsibility for the crime, and called Schaetzle’s actions “predatory in nature.”

“You took advantage of a young, vulnerable relative,” Birch said.

Birch then sentenced Schaetzle to not less than 14, nor more than 22 years in the custody of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

He was given credit for 93 days already served in jail, and must register as a sex offender.