A Lane County Circuit Court judge has sentenced a 29-year-old man to more than 18 years in prison after he admitted to entering a Florence home and kidnapping a child.

Michael Alan Kirchhefer also pleaded guilty in May to first-degree sexual abuse, felony strangulation and third-degree assault, in addition to burglary and kidnapping charges. The crimes all took place “on or about” March 30, 2024, according to court documents.

Florence police arrested Kirchhefer two days after the kidnapping, describing him as “a transient in the Florence area” who had once briefly lived with the victim’s family but not at the time the child was taken, according to a police statement from last year.

Judge Bradley Cascagnette on Aug. 1 sentenced Kirchhefer to 18 years and nine months in prison. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed a count of first-degree kidnapping.

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