News

Cedar Mountain man to 'pay dearly' for child-sex offense

Michael Joseph Dean

By Lightning Reports, Published: March 2, 2026

A 47-year-old Cedar Mountain man was sentenced to up to 210 years in prison on Friday after a Transylvania County jury convicted him of multiple counts of statutory sex offense with a child, District Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced.

Michael Joseph Dean, originally from Clearwater, Florida, was found guilty of six counts of the child sex offense after a three-week jury trial. After the verdict, Superior Court Judge Steve Warren sentenced the defendant to 25 to 35 years on each count and ordered them to be served consecutively, making the sentence 150 to 210 years in prison. According to the investigation and court trial records, Dean sexually assaulted the victim numerous times over a course of four years.

"When someone commits such a heinous act to harm a child, and then fails to take responsibility for their crime, my office will always seek the maximum sentence possible under the law," Murray said in a news release issued Monday. "Unfortunately, no sentence, not even a lifetime sentence, will reverse the pain, trauma and suffering of our child victim. However, this lifetime sentence does ensure that the defendant will never be able to harm another child. Let this case serve as a warning to others: if you harm a child in our community, you will be held responsible and you will pay dearly."
Assistant District Attorneys Lora Baker and Michael VanBuren handled the prosecution and sentencing, supported by legal assistants Denise Austin and Avery Pressley. Murray thanked Transylvania County sheriff's deputies for their professional and thorough investigation of the case, singling out lead Detective Andrew Patterson.