A 25-year-old Ann Arbor man is accused of sexually assaulting his 96-year-old neighbor after breaking into her apartment in the middle of the night, according to police.

Thanks to the victim’s response this judge ultimately let the sex abuser off with community service.

Dejon Dejor Lynn was sentenced Monday, Dec. 14, to one year in jail followed by five years probation and 100 hours community service by Washtenaw County Trial Judge David Swartz, honoring a sentencing agreement at the request of the victim who said she didn’t want to see another man disappear into the prison system when there’s a chance for rehabilitation out of prison.

Here’s what the Ann Arbor Police Department reported about Lynn’s arrest.

On Aug. 4, police responded to Colonial Square Cooperative in the 3200 block of Williamsburg at around 3:40 a.m. The Ann Arbor Police Department said that they were dispatched for a home invasion and sexual assault.

The woman and Lynn live in the same cooperative complex. The woman was then taken to a local hospital where she was treated and released, police say.

Trying to locate Lynn took a couple of tries. Police say they conducted a search warrant at Lynn’s residence on  Aug. 5, but he was not there.

Detectives then located him at a Belleville residency on Aug. 7, where he was taken into custody.

Lynn ultimately pleaded no contest to the break-in and a lesser charge of second-degree sexual assault, both of which are felony counts.

However, instead of a well-deserved prison sentence, Lynn would be walking away as a free man thanks to the bizarre reasoning shared by both the judge and his elderly victim.

When a judge delivers a light sentence for a particularly heinous crime, the public often feels that justice wasn’t served. However, when the victim is the one insisting that the culprit be granted leniency, some are left wondering whether it was a merciful endeavor or dangerously misplaced compassion.

Read more of this story from Taphaps:

Lynn was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and five years of probation for the disturbing attack. Incredibly, Washtenaw County Trial Judge David Swartz and the victim agreed that they didn’t want to see another man “lost” to the prison system, adding that they believe he can be rehabilitated while out of jail.

“(The victim) said she didn’t want to make a victim impact statement, but she’s told us she hopes he can be rehabilitated and won’t continue this behavior in the future,” Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Amy Reiser said at the sentencing hearing. “She expressed she didn’t want him to be lost in the prison system.”

According to Lynn’s conviction, the appropriate sentence would have been between 45 and 75 months in prison, which could have landed him behind bars for a maximum of 6 years and 4 months. Instead, he won’t spend any time in a prison cell and will complete roughly as much community service as is handed down for certain misdemeanor violations.

Although Lynn declined to make a statement during his sentencing, his attorney opted to thank the court for its leniency. He claims that Lynn is deeply grateful for his second chance and is determined not to re-offend.

“(Lynn) is certainly not unaware of the consideration he is receiving from both the victim and the court in this matter,” Lynn’s attorney Samuel Bernstein said. “He is motivated to do right and fulfill all his requirements while on probation.”

Lynn will be required to register as a sex offender, but it isn’t clear which tier he is in or how long he will remain on the registry. He has also been ordered by the court to complete a sex offender treatment program, which will determine if he has been rehabilitated.

Regardless of his attorney’s assurance that Lynn is a changed man, there has been nothing to ensure that he won’t re-offend. In fact, he was released back into society without first having undergone any rehabilitation program.

Whether or not Lynn can be rehabilitated is one concern for the public. Of course, the fact that a predator who targeted a particularly vulnerable woman in a premeditated attack has been released without any real punishment adds a level of outrage to the case.

Sources: Taphaps, MLive.com