Man gets 10 years for sexual assault

A man convicted of sexually assaulting two teenage girls was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in state prison.

Darwin Berosik, 40, was convicted on two counts of felony sex crimes in March. It was his second trial on those charges after the first ended without a verdict in June 2006.

On Tuesday, Flathead District Court Judge Stewart E. Stadler gave Berosik a 30-year prison term with 20 years suspended on each count. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Berosik also was ordered to complete anger management, chemical dependency and sex-offender treatment programs.

After he is released from prison, Berosik will remain under court supervision until he is 70.

The sentencing, which was originally scheduled in May, was delayed until Berosik's sex-offender evaluation could be completed.

When Stadler asked him if there was anything he wanted to say, Berosik told the court that his trial was a "dog and pony show."

"I just wanted a fair trial," Berosik said. "If they had even done their math in the investigation, I wouldn't be sitting here now."

Berosik was convicted of forcing two teenage girls to perform sex acts in February and March of 2005. One girl testified to incidents that included fondling, pornography and prostitutes.

Defense attorneys called the accusations a "setup" and pointed to a lack of physical evidence.

A jury of seven women and five men took several hours to convict him.

Berosik faced three counts of sexual assault in his original trial. County prosecutors decided to sever the third and unrelated count involving a third girl after the jury in the first trial failed to come back with a verdict. The jury was deadlocked 10-2 to acquit on that count.

Berosik still could face separate prosecution on that third charge.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com