Muskegon man scolded in court by teen, choking and kicking in chest

MUSKEGON, MI – Words written by a teenager who was beaten and tormented by his father will remain in his tormentor’s mind for decades as he sits in prison.

Sometimes, as a form of punishment, teenagers were choked and pushed down the stairs.

Abuser Jimmy Creekmore said moments before being sentenced to at least 50 years in prison that he would do “anything in the world” to change the past.

Creekmore, 38, learned of his punishment on Thursday, July 25, when he appeared in Muskegon County Circuit Court.

His case began in January 2023, when Creekmore told his 13-year-old child to go outside and shovel snow. The temperature was about 12 degrees Fahrenheit, police said in a statement.

MLive/Muskegon Chronicle is not releasing the child’s gender to protect his anonymity as a victim.

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The teenager was not allowed to go inside until it was dark. After a few hours, the teenager felt cold and went to a neighbor’s house. There, the neighbors discovered several injuries on the teenager’s body.

Doctors said the teen suffered head injuries, a broken finger, burns to his hand and a broken nose. Doctors also told police that injuries to the teen’s stomach and pancreas were consistent with him being kicked or stomped on.

Creekmore admitted to police that he kicked the teen so hard that his face hit the wall and broke his nose.

After these allegations emerged, investigators looked into the case further and found child pornography on Creekmore’s personal devices.

Investigators found a two-minute video of Creekmore sexually assaulting a three-year-old child in 2022. Police also found pornographic images of the same child from 2021.

Creekmore accepted a plea deal from Muskegon County prosecutors and pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct and first-degree child abuse. In exchange, child pornography charges were dismissed.

Creekmore sat in court Thursday and listened as Assistant Muskegon County Prosecutor Kathryn Norton read a letter from a teenager Creekmore had abused.

“The ways you punished me were horrible and abusive,” Norton read on behalf of the victim. “(You) are meant to be a role model, but I will never be like you.”

“I wish I could push you down the stairs and bash your head against the wall,” the teen wrote. “But I’m not like you.”

RELATED: Child porn found on Muskegon man’s phone leads to more charges than child abuse

Creekmore admitted he had failed as a father. He said he had met the wrong person and took his anger and frustration out on the teenager.

“I would do anything in the world to change that,” he said. “I cry almost every night.”

Muskegon County Circuit Court Judge Annette Smedley sentenced Creekmore to 50 to 100 years in prison for first-degree criminal sexual conduct and child abuse.

“The children in this state are safer today because you are in prison,” the judge said.

If sentenced, Creekmore will be eligible to serve his sentence in federal prison.

Federal prosecutors have charged Creekmore with child pornography that police found during the investigation. He has pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and will be sentenced Monday, July 29, in the federal courthouse in Kalamazoo.

Terrie Lynn Ferry is scheduled to appear in district court Monday for a final settlement conference in connection with the abuse investigation. Ferry is charged with second-degree child abuse in the presence of another child.

Police said in a statement that she allegedly forced the teen, who was being bullied by Creekmore, to hold a hot frying pan because he was being too loud.

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