Man to serve decade in prison for drug, underage sex offenses

SANTA CRUZ >> A superior court judge sentenced a 24-year-old former Santa Cruz County man Wednesday to a decade in prison in a drug and underage sex case.

The sentencing by Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Siegel came after Michael Russell, of San Jose, was convicted of seven felony counts in November. Russell's conviction resulted from a plea deal with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office that dropped about 10 additional charges.

Russell used and provided illegal drugs to both a 16- and 17-year-old girl. The 16-year-old Santa

Cruz girl, referred to as “E.P.” in court documents, fatally overdosed Nov. 12, 2021, at the Corralitos home of Russell's mother, according to prosecutors. During a subsequent autopsy by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, authorities reported finding evidence of four separate narcotics in the girl's system.

“During the course of that investigation, evidence was uncovered which showed the victim had been obtaining illegal narcotics in the days leading up to her death from multiple narcotics dealers, in addition to Mr. Russell,”

Russell

according to a release issued by the District Attorney's Office. “After a thorough review of the evidence collected and documented by the Sheriff's Office, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office does not believe the evidence in the case establishes proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Russell is culpable for E.P.'s death.”

Russell also stands guilty of engaging in a “pattern of sexual activity” with the underage girls, according to the District Attorney's Office. Abuse of the 17-year-old spanned July 2020 to July 2021, prosecutors said. Russell will be required to register as a lifetime sex offender upon his release from custody. His charges include unlawful sexual intercourse, two counts of possessing obscene matter, two counts of an adult giving a minor a controlled substance and two counts of lewd communications with a minor.

“This was an incredibly tragic case which has had a devastating impact on E.P.'s family, her loved ones, and many other concerned members of the community,” county prosecutor Conor McCormick wrote in an agency release. “While nothing can bring back their daughter, nor does this sentence represent the pain and trauma of their loss, our Office hopes this disposition will further protect the public by ensuring a defendant who takes advantage of underage victims is held accountable for his crimes.”