Sex offender gets five years

POLSON — In District Court last Wednesday, a Polson man was sentenced to five years in jail after pleading guilty to sex crimes against minors. Forty-two-year-old Robert Deneault was committed to the department of corrections for five years and 30 days in the Lake County Jail on two counts.

Ealier this year, two women came forward with allegations that Deneault had been sexually inappropriate with them. Originally he faced charges of sexual intercourse without consent, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Deneault agreed to a plea agreement on June 15, and pled guilty to two amended offenses in exchange for a lesser sentence.

The plea agreement requires Deneault to serve significantly less jail time that he would have faced if he had gone to trial and been convicted by a jury. However, it also requires Deneault to have no contact with children under 18, refrain from drug and alcohol use and to register as a sex offender.

Deneault will also be required to complete Phase I of the sex offender treatment program.