A Butler man was sentenced Thursday to serve three to seven years in prison and to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

Michael A. Simmer, 41, was sentenced to serve 36 to 84 months in state prison followed by 36 months of probation and a lifetime registration as a tier three sexual offender under Megan’s Law.

Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy McCune ordered the sentence after the grandmother of the victim, who was 14 when she was assaulted last year, asked that Simmer receive the maximum sentence.

She said Simmer threatened to kill the girl, who is autistic, if she told anyone about the assault, and the girl required treatment after the assault. She asked McCune to order Simmer to undergo mental health and alcohol abuse treatment and not to contact the victim after he is released from prison.

Simmer, who was sentenced remotely from the county prison where he was being held on $100,000 bail, spoke before the sentence was imposed.

He denied threatening to kill the girl. He said he told her that she could kill him “if I ever do anything like that again.”

He also accepted responsibility.

“I need help. I already know that. I’m taking responsibility for my actions,” Simmer said.

In addition to his lifetime registration under Megan’s Law, Simmer was ordered to comply with state conditions for sexual offenders.

Butler city police arrested Simmer in August 2023 after the girl reported to officials at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Butler County that he touched her inappropriately several times, according to police

She reported that she asked him to stop and that he threatened to kill her if she told anyone, according to police.