Gary Rolls was a Republican county commissioner in Kent County, Michigan. In 2012, after he won his Republican primary in a state House race, a 28-year-old woman came forward claiming he had sexually abused her since she was nine years-old until she was twenty-three. But never fear, his arrest was dignified. He was charged with four counts of first-degree sexual assault, tampering with evidence, and using a computer to commit a crime.
The woman testified that she suffered from migraines, high blood pressure, anxiety, and nightmares as a result of the abuse. She said he threatened her and since she saw him associating with police and other powerful people, he could carry out his threats so she submitted to his demands.
“He made me do things that made me physically sick and he didn’t care. If I cried, he told me to stop because I was weak. If I said no, he told me I wasn’t allowed to tell him no because he was the adult and I was the child,” she said.
“There are no words to truly reflect the pain, the fears, and the lifelong scars that I have endured because of him.”
Michigan Radio: Former Kent County commissioner to serve a year in jail for sex crimes against minor
He claimed she sixteen or older when the relationship began, but there were receipts on a credit card dating back to 2000. She claimed he started taking nude pictures of her when she was fifteen, but he used his iPad to delete them which is where the obstruction and using a computer to commit a crime come from. However, they did prove she lied about a photo he showed her She said he showed it to her in 1996, but the paper was not available until 2004.
He pleaded guilty to one lesser charge, fourth-degree sexual assault, illegally using a computer, and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to one year in jail. He served less than that and also had his restitution cut in half.
- MLive: How Gary Rolls arrest went down, Kent County colleague calls it dignified.
- Michigan Radio: Former Kent County commissioner to serve a year in jail for sex crimes against minor
- MLive: Former county commissioner guilty of sex crime sees restitution cut in half
- WZZM: Fmr commissioner sentenced; victim calls him a coward
20 Jun 2014
