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NILES — In Berrien County Trial Court Monday, a Berrien Springs man was sentenced to prison for criminal sexual conduct.

Philip Earl Potter, 61, of Berrien Springs, was convicted of five counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct by a jury earlier this fall. He was sentenced to five concurrent terms of 25 to 40 years in prison and must pay $198 in fines and costs. He must register as a sex offender and be subject to lifetime electronic monitoring.

The incidents involving a minor under the age of 13 occurred for a number of years nearly a decade ago in the Berrien Springs area.

“This is one of those cases where the court is without words,” Judge Sterling Schrock said. “The jury spoke and spoke in a way that was consistent with the evidence. From the testimony I heard, the verdicts were justified. The sentence has been determined by the legislature and is clearly appropriate.”