Clinton Township Sex Offender's Parole Put On Hold

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI — The early release of a Clinton Township man convicted of physically molesting his 15-year-old special-needs step-daughter in 2012 has been stayed. Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith requested the stay, arguing Ronald Lee Irwin is still a threat to society.

“This is a repeat, habitual sex offender who has not been rehabilitated,” Smith said in statement. He wants Irwin, 47, to remain behind bars until he can argue against his parole in front of the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Besides the 2012 conviction, Irwin was also convicted in 1993 of criminal sexual conduct in in Cheboygan County. Smith said he was sentenced to five to 15 years for that charge, and released from parole in 2005.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Clinton Township Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Macomb County Circuit Court Judge James Biernat granted Smith's request at a Friday hearing. In a Monday statement, Smith said that Irwin has not had a psychological examination since 2013, and performed poorly in prison-ordered sex offender treatment.

“I applaud Judge Biernat for acting to keep this convict behind bars during the term of his sentence,” Smith said.

Photo courtesy of the Michigan Department of Corrections