(Editor’s note: The following information was provided to the Patriot by Sherburne County).

A Clear Lake-area man was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for sexually assaulting a girl younger than 15. 

Shawn Alan Shaney, 54, previously pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Prosecutors asked for an upward departure from sentencing guidelines, which called for probation. 

Judge Walter Kaminsky granted the prosecution motion and sentenced Shaney to prison. Kaminsky cited the victim’s particular vulnerability, including the fact that she was in a foster home at the time of the assault. 

While Shaney denied assaulting the girl more than once, a forensic analysis of his cell phone revealed more than 5,400 contacts between him and the girl in just over a month.