The mother of a girl sexually assaulted by a registered sex offender faces more than seven years in prison for delivering the girl to him "on a sliver platter."

The 44-year-old Poynette woman is free on a $5,000 signature bond after making an initial appearance Wednesday in Columbia County Circuit Court. The Daily Register is not identifying her to protect the identity of her daughter.

She is charged with felony failure to protect a child and two counts of misdemeanor obstructing an officer.

She allegedly allowed her 6-year-old daughter to stay overnight in 2006 with registered sex offender Kevin R. Grinde, who lives at the Inch Heights Trailer Park in the town of Dekorra, according to a criminal complaint.

Grinde reportedly performed oral sex on the girl several times and took photos of the girl while she was undressed, according to court records.

The woman reportedly told authorities that she knew Grinde was a registered sex offender when she let the girl stay overnight with him, according to a criminal complaint. As a condition of his parole, Grinde was not allowed to have contact with children.

The woman allegedly told authorities she lied to friends, family, caretakers, law enforcement and probation and parole agents about the situation, the complaint stated.

Grinde purchased a guitar for the girl and for nine months gave her lessons at his home on the weekend, the complaint stated.

After the woman confronted Grinde about the sexual assaults, she said she went from hating him to feeling sorry for him and considered pursuing him as a boyfriend, the complaint stated. She still considers him a friend, according to the complaint.

Grinde was sentenced in September to 30 years in prison followed by 15 years of extended supervision after he pleaded no contest to one charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child. As part of a plea agreement, 14 other charges were dismissed, including three charges of sexual assault of a child younger than age 13 as a repeater, three charges of child enticement as a repeater and eight counts of a sex offender intentionally photographing a minor without consent as a repeater.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Daniel George took note of a presentence investigation in which Grinde apparently said he did not seek out prey, but that the victims were delivered to him "on a silver platter."

Mark Bennett, the guardian ad litem for the girl, said at the hearing, "This little girl's life is destroyed."

The girl's father told the court that Grinde's actions "tore our lives apart."

In 2002, Grinde pleaded no contest to a charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child that was the result of incidents that occurred in 1997. Then-Columbia County Judge Richard Rehm sentenced him to serve one year in jail and five years on probation for the crime. He also was required to register as a sex offender.

The woman is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on the charges Dec. 11.

sgreen@capitalnewspapers.com

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