How Could You? Hall of Shame-Mark Sorensen and Stacy Sorensen UPDATED

The allegations against Mark Sorensen, 61, were reported to Norton Shores police last week. Jail records show Sorensen was arrested Friday and arraigned Monday in Muskegon County District Court.

Sorensen and his wife are licensed foster care providers. Mark Sorensen does not have a criminal history.

He’s being held in the Muskegon County Jail on a $500,000 cash or surety bond. If he’s able to post bond, the judge instructed Sorensen not to have any contact with minor children.

Court documents show the alleged sexual penetration of the child occurred at Sorensen’s home on Pontaluna Road sometime between April 1 and April 11. The victim is under the age of 13 and a relative of Sorensen.

“We are still obviously looking and following any leads that might suggest that there might be other victims out there,” Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson said. “We’d ask they, or their guardian or their parent, contact the Norton Shores Police Department and sit down and talk with detectives.”

According to Hilson, Sorensen and his wife may have fostered 40 kids throughout their time as foster parents.

Sorensen is due back in court for a preliminary examination May 1.”

Norton Shores foster parent accused of sexually assaulting child

[Grand Haven Tribune 4/16/19 by Jon Mills]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:”A former foster care provider whose wife secretly videotaped him twice sexually assaulting a child has pleaded guilty to two counts of rape.

Mark Andrew Sorensen, 61, of Norton Shores likely will serve at least 15 years in prison after pleading guilty as charged to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charges involve sexual penetration of a victim under the age of 13.

Muskegon County Circuit Judge Timothy Hicks has agreed to a minimum sentence not to exceed 180 months, or 15 years, according to court records. The maximum sentence is life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 4.

Sorensen and his wife, Stacy Sorensen, were foster care providers and Court Appointed Special Advocates for child victims of abuse and neglect, court documents show. Because they were CASA advocates, the Sorensens were required to report abuse.

Before he retired, Sorensen was a foster care worker for 12 years, according to court documents.

Stacey Sorensen, 51, was convicted by a jury of felony tampering with evidence and failure to report abuse after she deleted a video recording of her husband raping the child in their bedroom. She watched on her phone as the rape occurred via live streaming of a security camera, according to a court brief.

“She closed the program on her phone and continued her day at work,” a prosecution court brief states.

When she again saw her husband via live streaming video raping the child 10 days later, she waited a day and then went to Norton Shores police, according to court records. Mark Sorensen was immediately arrested.

At Stacy Sorensen’s sentencing, Muskegon County Assistant Prosecutor Heather Bloomquist said Stacy Sorensen left the victim “alone in the home for 11 days with (their) rapist, and nothing was done to take steps to prevent any further sexual assault.”

“The defendant admitted herself that she used this child as bait to try to catch her husband in this act, and she said that on the stand,” Bloomquist said, according to a court transcript.

Defense attorney Chris Houghtaling told Muskegon County Circuit Judge Annette Smedley that Stacy Sorensen was very remorseful, but denied that she used the child as “bait.”

Stacy Sorensen was sentenced in January to a year in jail for tampering with evidence and one day in jail for failing to report abuse. Smedley allowed Sorensen daytime release from jail so she could work, which the judge was told was at Mercy Health, according to court records.

However, Muskegon County Sheriff Michael Poulin said his department denied Sorensen work release because she didn’t have a job. A spokeswoman for Mercy Health, which is part of Trinity Health, said “we can confirm that Ms. Sorenson is no longer a Mercy Health or Trinity Health employee.”