Former New Ulm police officer given probation for sexual assault of minors

A former New Ulm cop accused of molesting two girls known to him has been sentenced to probation. Eric Gramentz, 43, who pled guilty in November to all three charges against him, will serve 25 years on supervised probation on three counts of felony criminal sexual conduct.

He’s also required to register as a sex offender. The judge also ordered that Gramentz have no unsupervised contact with persons under the age of 18, including his children.  He is not allowed to have social media accounts.

Judge Allison Krehbiel sentenced the former police officer to one year in jail with credit for 382 days already served.

If Gramentz violates the conditions of his probation, he will face about 22.5 years in prison; his 12-year prison sentences would be served concurrently, while the ten-year sentence would be served consecutively.Gramentz’s sentence was a departure from typical Minnesota guidelines, which the courts consider based on the defendant’s age, prior record, and remorse.

A sentencing memorandum says Gramentz’s lighter sentence was the result of a psychosexual evaluation that indicated he is amenable to probation and sex offender treatment. Impact statements from Gramentz’s victims, who all requested that he not be sent to prison, also played a role.