Man sentenced for indecent liberties

EPHRATA - An Ephrata man will serve a minimum of three months in jail after being accused of molesting his granddaughter.

Rodger D. Broers, 60, pleaded guilty to indecent liberties in Grant County Superior Court.

He was originally charged with child molestation in the first degree, but it was lessened as part of the plea agreement, according to court records.

"This was a good way to secure a conviction to a sex offense in this case considering there were no inculpatory statements by the defendant, no witnesses, no physical evidence, and an act which a jury could conceivably attribute to innocent motives," Prosecutor Angus Lee stated.

Prosecutors agreed to a Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative, requiring Broers to receive treatment. The provider is required to provide quarterly reports on Broers' participation, and he is subject to an annual in-court review.

Grant County Superior Court Judge Evan Sperline agreed with the recommendation, suspending the majority of Broers' one year and eight month sentence. 

"The victim's family didn't particularly care about jail time, although they preferred some, however, they did want the defendant to engage in treatment for his behaviors," Lee stated. "The evaluation said that (he) was at a low risk to re-offend and would benefit from treatment. The defendant will now have to register as a sex offender."

Ephrata police learned about the molestation from a report by Child Protective Services. The victim was going to spend a week with her grandparents, when she reported Broers touched her inappropriately.