Parents of the victim had dropped her off at his home to spend the weekend.
SOMERVILLE -- A borough man charged with sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl in his home in 2013 was sentenced to eight years in state prison Friday in Somerset County Superior Court.
Michael E. Clarity, Sr., 55, pleaded guilty to third-degree endangering the welfare of a child with sexual contact in August, which carries a jail term of three to five years.
But because of eight prior indictable convictions, Clarity was eligible for an extended term sentence.
Thus, he was sentenced in the second-degree range, which is five to 10 years.
The prosecution dismissed charges of first-degree aggravated assault and second-degree sexual assault.
Clarity must serve four years before he's eligible for parole. Once he is released from prison, he will be under lifetime parole supervision and must register under Megan's Law as a sex offender. He has 715 days jail credit.
Assistant Prosecutor Merrill Mezzacappa successfully argued for an extended term sentence before Judge Robert B. Reed.
Attorney Mark Imbriani represented Clarity. He said his client was abused as a child and has been an alcoholic his entire adult life.
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Clarity, who blamed his actions on alcoholism, apologized to the victim and her family. The victim wasn't in court.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I hurt a lot of people. I hope my apology is accepted by my family for all the trouble I caused."
On the weekend of Aug. 17, 2013, the child was dropped off at Clarity's Somerville home by her parents to spend the weekend, the prosecution said. That Tuesday, she told her mother that she had been sexually assaulted by Clarity.
The girl told authorities that on Aug. 18 she was sitting on Clarity's lap on the couch in his living room when he touched her private parts, it was previously reported. Clarity also put his tongue in her mouth and whispered two curse words.
The girl then was able to get away from him and lock herself in the bathroom. When she returned to the living room, the girl saw Clarity masturbating on the couch. He told her "not to tell anyone and said he was sorry."
Mezzacappa read a letter from the girls' parents describing how she's still traumatized by what happened and they fear she'll never be the same.
"This has impacted every part of her life," the letter read.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com.Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.