Pittsfield, MA-On June 11th Michael Hiser (Adams, MA: 39 years old) was found guilty by a jury of his peers of one count of Aggravated Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under 14, three counts of Photographing an Unsuspecting Nude Child, two counts of Posing or Exhibiting a Child in the Nude, one count of Indecent Exposure, and one count of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under 14.
On June 16th, the Defendant was sentenced to 15 to 20 years in State Prison for Aggravated Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under 14, 4 to 5 years for Photographing an Unsuspecting Nude Child, 2.5 years for Indecent Exposure, and 8 to 10 years for Aggravated Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under 14. All sentences will run concurrently. For Posing or Exhibiting a Child in the Nude, Hiser was sentenced to 5 years’ probation with conditions of no contact with the victim, staying away from the victim, no unsupervised contact with minors, GPS monitoring, and sex offender treatment. The Defendant will register with the Sex Offender Registry Board.
Investigators found that from approximately 2020 to 2022, the Defendant would sneak into the victim’s room at night to inappropriately photogram and touch them (singular to protect the child’s identity) inappropriately. Additionally, he would follow the victim around the house and photograph them with inappropriate intent. An additional incident involved the Defendant acting in a sexual manor in the presence of the minor. Finally, investigators found there to be multiple explicit images of the victim on Hiser’s phone.
District Attorney Shugrue stated, “Cases of child abuse and child sexual abuse shake the foundation of our community. Today justice has been served on behalf of a child who survived unimaginable abuse. While the guilty verdict and lengthy sentence do not take away any of the horrific crimes the Defendant committed, I hope today provides an opportunity for both the child and their family to move forward.”
Chief of the Child Abuse Unit Andrew Giarolo represented the Commonwealth. Associate Director of Victim Witness Advocates Kristen Rapkowicz served as the Victim Witness Advocate on behalf of the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office. The Adams Police Department with assistance from a Williamstown Police Department’s Berkshire Law Enforcement Task Force digital evidence unit officer led the investigation.