Sentence is 25 years in sexual abuse case

A Carlton County man was sentenced to more than 25 years in prison Friday for sexually abusing three young girls in his care.

Jamie Alden Godbout, 35, dated their mother for nearly a decade and was part of the family, so much so that the girls’ grandmother actually testified on his behalf, asking for a reduced sentence.

But Sixth District Carlton County Judge Amy Lukasavitz echoed the words of the one victim who testified Friday.

“You were the adult, you were the person who was supposed to protect them,” said Lukasavitz, who sentenced him to 306 months, or 25 ½ years. The sentence was toward “the bottom of the box” versus the top range of 360 months, or 30 years.

“These children have been sentenced to a lifetime … These young women might not be able to feel intimacy without fear or feel trust,” the judge said. “No child should have to [live with] that.”

Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola said both Godbout’s mother’s testimony and the girls’ grandmother show how he was able to manipulate people.

“The letters offer no acknowledgement of the harm done to these children. Incomprehensible, immeasurable harm,” Ketola said.

Putting Godbout in prison longer would give the girls more time to grow up and hopefully heal, knowing that he was behind bars, Ketola said, arguing for 360 months.

“I’ve gotten to know these girls,” she said. “They’re fighters. They’ve had to be. And they’re trying to move on with their lives.”

According to the criminal complaint, Godbout started abusing the eldest child when she was 13, another between the ages of 8 and 11 and the youngest when she was 6 or 7 years old.

Carlton County officials were informed of the allegations against Godbout after two of the minor accusers talked to officials in Superior. Due to the allegations of sexual contact, including digital penetration, occuring in Carlton County, the investigation was assigned to the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office.

Following a forensic interview with the alleged victims, the oldest accuser showed an investigator screenshots of social media messages between her and Godbout. In the messages, he allegedly tells her he loves her, the complaint said, and that “she is his in 20 months,” plus other sexual messages. The victim told authorities she was 13 the first time Godbout started making sexual remarks to her, and he allegedly started touching her when she was 14, including putting his hands in her pants when she was sleeping, causing pain.

“He did it over and over to all three girls,” Ketola said, adding that Godbout also forced the younger girls to touch him sexually and tried to make the oldest girl give him oral sex.

Godbout “infiltrated” the family, Ketola said. He had fun with the kids, she said, took them places, including his parents’ house. After building that trust and loyalty, he then started slipping in and out of the girls’ bedrooms at night, putting his fingers inside them, then telling them to keep it a secret, Ketola said.

Originally Godbout faced 10 felony charges in a 2022 case that combined charges for abuse of all three girls, but his attorneys requested the cases be split. In June, a jury found Godbout guilty of three counts of felony “criminal sexual conduct in the first degree — person under 16 — significant relationship” and he pleaded guilty July 12 to two first-degree charges in the second case after losing the jury trial.

One person provided a victim impact statement. With the oldest victim, now an adult, sitting next to her in the courtroom, Ketola read the young woman’s words about the lasting effects of Godbout’s abuse and betrayal.

“At first Jamie was like the big brother I never had,” she said. “By the end, he changed my view of men forever.”

She dresses differently, can’t look a man in the eye, and finds it impossible to trust any man.

“He took a piece of my childhood that I’ll never get back,” she said. “He took advantage of me.”

Godbout’s attorney, Christopher Stocke, argued for a shorter sentence, pointing out that Godbout was remorseful, cooperative and wants treatment. He also pointed out that the girls never sought medical treatment, noting that the “typical” first-degree criminal sex charge would require hospital care because of the violence — “not to diminish what happened,” he said.

“Every girl he was exposed to, he abused,” Ketola said.

During her testimony, the girls’ grandmother said she considers Godbout a son, and told the court that he “always stepped up,” helping with projects in the house, including remodeling, doing homework with the girls and playing games.

She is now raising his 7-year-old son.

“[Jamie’s son] has developed mental health issues since this case started,” she said. “He rarely leaves my side at home … and wakes up at night with nightmares, worried something will happen to his dad.”

Godbout’s mother and father took the stand, his mother sobbing at the thought of not seeing her son at home on the holidays or having a family.

“How is a mother supposed to get through this?” she asked, acknowledging that her son “made some bad decisions,” but it didn’t make him a bad person.

She asked for a lenient sentence “so [his son] can know his dad and I can have him back before I’m no longer here.”

Jamie Godbout also addressed the court, apologizing for his actions. He said he had a wonderful girlfriend and a perfect family and he was happy.

“Nothing I do will make up for the lives I’ve affected,” he said, rambling a bit. “I like to think I’m a good person but I don’t know. I know prison will give me time, maybe therapy and counseling.”

“I just want everyone to be OK. I love everybody.”

Judge Lukasavitz took a 10-minute recess to consider the sentencing decision, noting that she typically waits to decide until after she’s heard victim statements and any other testimony.

When she returned, the judge showed sympathy to both sides before sentencing Godbout.

“How does a mom get through this? I don’t know,” the judge said. “But how does a mom get through the fact that her children were sexually assaulted?”

Good people can make some really bad choices, she said.

“Your choices hurt three young people,” she said, noting that his absence will also hurt others, like his son.

But the blame is his alone.

“It’s Mr. Godbout who did this to himself … the harm done to his family is a direct result of his actions,” Ketola said more than once.

State law dictates that Godbout will serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in prison — 17 years — and could serve the last third on parole if he behaves in prison. Once released, he will have to register as a predatory offender and be on conditional release for the rest of his life.