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HART – A 64-year-old former Mears man pleaded no contest to three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Oceana County’s 51st Circuit Court Monday, Nov. 9.
Jesuz Chapa, 64, who recently was living in Dallas, Texas, pleaded to the charges pursuant to a plea agreement in which he agreed to be sentenced to 15-30 years in prison, stated Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in a press release.
Chapa
“Chapa repeatedly sexually assaulted a minor relative in their shared home between 2001 and 2004,” states the press release. “At the time of the assaults, Chapa was aged 38-41 and the victim was 8-11 years old. The assaults were reported in 2007, and Chapa was charged criminally in 2008, though by that time Chapa had relocated to Texas.
“In 2025, the Oceana County Prosecutor’s Office referred the case to the Department of Attorney General under Operation Survivor Justice. Michigan State Police investigated further and additional charges were filed by the Department of Attorney General late that year. Chapa was arrested in Dallas, Texas in February 2026 and extradited to Michigan to face these charges in March.”
“In my office, we prosecute with our victims and survivors at the center of our decision making, and I hope with this conviction we are able to provide a measure of justice and healing for someone who was only a young child when these crimes were committed against them,” said Attorney General Nessel. “I am thankful to our Operation Survivor Justice partners, the Oceana County Prosecutor’s Office, Michigan State Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service for making today’s conviction possible.”
Operation Survivor Justice is a partnership between the Michigan Department of Attorney General, local county prosecutors, and the U.S. Marshals Service to locate, apprehend, and return to Michigan fugitive offenders with outstanding sexual assault warrants.
Chapa is scheduled for sentencing, Dec. 14.
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