FARMINGTON — A Franklin County justice sentenced a former Wilton man Friday to 20 years in prison with all but eight years suspended for sexually abusing a child under age 12.

Jamie Ouellette, 38, will serve nine years on probation and have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Ouellette was arrested along with his wife and girlfriend in February 2015 following an investigation by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

The three were accused of sexually molesting the child from June 1, 2014, to Feb. 12, 2015, and making the child watch them have sex.

The child was not in the court Friday but family members were. They declined to speak. Justice William Stokes said he had read the handwritten letters from the child. What was done to the child physically was bad enough, but what is most tragic is the victim continues to suffer the psychological and mental effects of the abuse, he said.

The child can not stop thinking about what happened, Stokes said. The mind is a very powerful thing and to sentence a child to not be able to put the thoughts away is really a cruelty, he said.

“This is a young child and (the victim) deserves to be a happy person,” Stokes said.

Ouellette pleaded guilty Sept. 8 to a Class A charge of unlawful sexual contact which carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. He also pleaded guilty to Class C counts of visual sexual aggression against a child, illegal possession of firearm, four counts of violation condition of release and two counts of tampering with a witness or informant.

For each of the lesser felony charges, Stokes sentenced Ouellette to serve five years, each to run concurrent with each other and the unlawful sexual contact sentence.

Ouellette said he takes responsibility for his actions. 

“I am sorry for the things we did to you,” he said.

He hoped some day the child would have peace and hopes the child can move forward.

“You did the right thing to tell your mother,” he said.

He realized, he said, that after sitting in jail for 21 months and thinking what was done to the child that “I don’t like myself.”

“It was not who I wanted to be,” he said.

He apologized to the child, her family, his girlfriend Anna LaRochelle, and her parents, his sons and family.

“I am sorry to anyone and everyone who trusted me and had faith in me,” he said.

LaRochelle, 26, of Anson, pleaded guilty to a lower class felony unlawful sexual contact charge and felony charges of sexual visual aggression against a child in September. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 16.

Ouellette’s wife, Tami Ouellette, 43, of Wilton was indicted Thursday on felony charges of gross sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact and visual sexual aggression against a child.

Among

‘s conditions on probation are not to possess or view sexually explicit and sexually simulating material. He also can not be with anyone under age 18 unless he has permission from his probation officer and sex offender counseling provider.

He also cannot go any place children frequent, including parks, playgrounds, schools, recreation facilities, arcades and fairgrounds. He also cannot use the internet or computer without his probation officer’s approval, and any electronic devices subject to random search.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net