NORTHAMPTON — A 32-year-old Springfield man will spend three to 3½ years in state prison after pleading guilty Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court to charges of rape and indecent assault and battery.

Michael Pope was given credit for time served since his arrest on Jan. 18, 2022, following his indictment by a grand jury on three counts of rape, two counts of assault and battery on a person 14 or older, and one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Asked by Judge Jane Mulqueen to summarize the commonwealth’s case, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Covington said Pope had engaged in sexual activity with the 17-year-old daughter of his then-girlfriend while the three were living together in Amherst in January 2021. The girl, who Covington said had been drinking wine and was intoxicated, initiated contact, wanting a hug, and Pope initially resisted. He texted her mother to tell her the girl was drunk, but she was asleep and did not respond.

“He knew (the girl) was drunk and could not consent,” Covington told the court.

While the two were engaged in sexual activity, the girl texted her friends to tell them, and her friends alerted Amherst police, Covington said. When police arrived, he said, they found her too drunk to put her pants on.

Covington said the incident, while involving no force and resulting in no physical injuries to the victim, had caused pain and suffering, and had broken the relationship between mother and daughter, which he said was rocky to begin with. The girl, who has moved out of state, has been informed of the plea deal, agrees with it and is relieved the case has been resolved without a trial, he said.

“The survivor showed tremendous courage coming forward,” Covington said in a statement from the DA.

Outside court, Covington said the case was built by Amherst Police, who brought the evidence to the Northwestern district attorney’s office. The DA’s office presented the case to a grand jury, which returned the indictment.

Defense attorney Aliki Recklitis said it was a case of poor judgment. There was no grooming involved, she said, the girl was over the age of consent, and Pope’s first and second impulse was to push her away.

“He’s remorseful,” she said.

A rape conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, Covington said.

After determining that Pope freely and willingly acknowledged his guilt and accepted all the consequences of pleading guilty, Mulqueen sentenced him to the state prison term, along with four years probation and a 30-day sentence at the county jail, to be served concurrently. Pope must also register as a sex offender with the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board, and provide a DNA sample as a convicted felon.

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