State appeals former New Ulm cop’s sentence: ‘Placed him on probation instead of sending him to prison.’

State prosecutors have appealed the sentence of a former New Ulm cop convicted of sexual assault.

Eric Gramentz, 43, was sentenced to probation in Brown County Court in April after pleading guilty to three counts of felony criminal sexual conduct.  Nicollet County District Court Judge Allison Krehbiel handed down Gramentz’s sentence.

A statement filed in the Minnesota Court of Appeals last week raises the question of whether the district court abused its discretion by granting Gramentz’s request for a downward departure from the prison sentence recommended by guidelines set during a PreSentence Investigation (PSI).  The state is also questioning why the district court limited the appeal period to 60 days, rather than the 90 days authorized by state statute.

The statement, filed by Assistant Scott County Attorney Todd Zettler, says the state argued for the prison time recommended in the PSI, about 34 1/2 years.

“The district court granted [Gramentz’s] request for a downward dispositional departure and placed him on probation instead of sending him to prison,” says the court filing.

Krehbiel sentenced the former police officer to 25 years on supervised probation for the sexual assaults, which involved two minor victims known by Gramentz.