Huron County Prosecutor Tim Rutowski shared last Friday that a Harbor Beach man was found guilty Wednesday of criminal sexual conduct against a minor.
It took the jury less than an hour and a half to find 59-year-old Keith Brian Bouverette guilty of two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree, with those charges carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. He was also convicted on one count of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree.
The case actually began in May 2019, when a 15-year-old girl, her mother, and a family friend filed a complaint against Bouverette, telling the Harbor Beach Police Department that the man had criminally assaulted the teenager. About three years after the initial report, Harbor Beach Police were again contacted about the case, but by a different individual, who indicated that Bouverette had confessed via text message that he had assaulted the victim and one other minor.
Shortly after police learned this information, the defendant was charged and arraigned in April 2022, with his jury trial finally taking place last week. During the trial, 12 witnesses were called to the stand, including three women Bouverette had assaulted, his ex-wife, several friends and three law enforcement officers. Meanwhile, the defense did not call any witnesses.
After the jury convicted Bouverette, the court revoked his bond, and remanded him to the Huron County Jail. Judge Gerald M. Prill scheduled sentencing for Bouverette on Monday, August 19, 2024, at 9 a.m.
