CLEARFIELD — A former Philipsburg man accused of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl and trying to intimidate the victim into changing her story was sent to state prison Monday during sentencing court in Clearfield County.

Michael L. Lutz, 49, whose address is now listed as Shawville, pleaded guilty to felony aggravated indecent assault and intimidation of a victim before Judge Paul E. Cherry, who sentenced Lutz to serve five to 10 years in state prison with three years re-entry probation.

He was ordered to complete sex offender counseling and to have no unsupervised contact with any female under the age of 18.

Assistant District Attorney Brittany McCracken said an evaluation determined that Lutz was not a sexually violent predator, although he will still have to register with authorities under Megan’s Law.

Prior to sentencing, Cherry admonished Lutz asking “what is a grown man doing with a child of that age! It’s reprehensible.”

Lutz’s attorney, Domenic Cicchinelli, responded that his client did not want to answer any questions.

Lutz was originally charged with seven felony counts each of rape of a child and aggravated indecent assault of a child, one felony count of intimidation of witness, and one felony count of intimidating witness to give false or misleading information, as well as seven misdemeanor counts of indecent assault, endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of minors.

The criminal complaint details how he offered to give the victim a bicycle, pool and trampoline if she told police she made up the stories about the assaults.

His wife, Nicole Marie Lutz, 44, was also charged with two felony counts of intimidating the victim and felony endangering the welfare of a child for making the same promises to the girl. She waived her right to a hearing in September 2023, but there is no further information on her case in online court documents.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, in May 2023, the victim told her teacher that Lutz was sexually assaulting her. The incidents happened in Bradford and Decatur townships.

When she was questioned at the Clearfield County Child Advocacy Center, she said the abuse started when she was 4 years old and continued for six years. Some of the incidents occurred while she was home sick from school and alone with Lutz.

In his interview with investigators, Lutz claimed it was the victim who started touching him inappropriately and put his hand on her private area.

“She was always trying to put his hand” on her privates, he said in the criminal complaint.

He also reportedly stated that when she was lying on the floor near him, she began “grinding” on him. At that time he told her, “No. We can’t do this.”

He denied ever having sexual intercourse with her or even touching her inappropriately.

A few days later, the report states, Lutz called the girl, saying that if she said “she lied and made up the allegations that he would stop touching her.” This is when he offered to buy her a pool, a bicycle and a trampoline.

The girl told investigators about the call and confirmed that Nicole Lutz also urged her to say she made the story up and if she didn’t the Lutzes would “lose everything.”

When Nicole Lutz was questioned about these accusations, she reportedly admitted to telling the girl they would buy her the items her husband promised.