CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Cheyenne man pleading guilty to sexual abuse of a minor was sentenced to five to seven years in prison on Tuesday.
Collin Spurrier, born in 2001, was sentenced for second-degree sexual abuse of a minor where the offender is 16 years or older and the victim is under the age of 13.
Spurrier committed the crime during summer 2020 when he was 18 years old, according to an affidavit acquired by Cap City News. A criminal complaint was filed Jan. 5, 2023.
Spurrier pleaded guilty to the crime June 29.
Tuesday’s case was overseen by Judge Peter Froelicher and prosecuted by Senior Deputy County Attorney Monique Meese. Mark Hardee served as Spurrier’s defense attorney.
Froelicher recommended that Spurrier enroll in the Youthful Offender program. He must also register as a sex offender.
Following the sentencing, Spurrier was handed over to the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department and moved to the Wyoming Department of Corrections.
Members of both Spurrier’s and the victim’s families showed up to the sentencing in Laramie County District Court in Cheyenne.
The mother of the victim in the case gave her final thoughts on the podium.
“What we do today, it will never be equal to what he did to my daughter,” she said.
As part of a plea agreement, Meese supported a sentence of six to eight years in prison. She cited the veracity of the crime and the impact it will continue to have on the victim as reasons to enforce the recommended punishment.
“This wasn’t one incident over one night,” Meese said. “This occurred over a period of time.”
Spurrier’s defense attorney, Mark Hardee, was next to present his final thoughts. He argued that in the time between the crime and now, Spurrier has developed as a person and holds responsibility for the crime. Hardee also stated that Spurrier was immature, had no criminal history and now has a wife and child whom he provides for. The attorney cited these points to recommend a lower sentence of three to five years in prison.
Spurrier was allowed time to give his final statements on the crime.
“What I did was the biggest mistake of my life,” he said, adding a day doesn’t goes by that he feels regret. He also cited his landscaping business and ability to provide for his family as a testament to his character.
In his final ruling, Judge Froelicher took into account the severity of the crime and the lasting impact it has had on the victim.
“This is not a run-of-the-mill felony conviction,” Froelicher said. “There’s no place for that conduct with a 12-year-old when you’re an 18-year-old.”
