Former Quincy coach accepts a plea bargain in criminal sexual conduct case

Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter
·2 min read
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BRANCH COUNTY — Former Quincy Community Schools softball and soccer coach Scott Signor, 57, pleaded no contest to assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct in a plea bargain Monday.

Prosecutor Zack Stempien agreed to dismiss four, 15-year criminal sexual conduct charges with mandatory prison sentences as well as a CSC fourth-degree charge.

Prosecutor Zack Stempien offered the plea bargain to Scott Signor to ensure a conviction in the CSC case.
Prosecutor Zack Stempien offered the plea bargain to Scott Signor to ensure a conviction in the CSC case.

The prosecutor and Farmington Hills defense attorney Joseph Lavigne agreed sentencing guidelines would allow a minimum sentence on the five-year felony from zero to 14 months when Circuit Judge Bill O'Grady sentences Signor on July 29.

Lavigne said the no contest plea was because of "potential civil liability."

Stempien spoke with the victim in the case. The prosecutor said Monday the only evidence was the testimony of both Signor and the victim. "There was no physical evidence," he said.

The prosecutor added, "We thought it was best to have a guaranteed conviction. The original report made to Quincy Police was rescinded."

The victim then was a high school student at Quincy High School.

The teenager first reported to Quincy Police in 2020. She told investigators Signor groomed her over time, plying her with marijuana, alcohol and vapes. She said he began sexually assaulting her at age 16, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The woman withdrew the complaint when Signor threatened suicide, the four-page probable cause affidavit stated.

Prior story Longtime Quincy coach fired after criminal sexual conduct arrest

Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Matt Berry conducted an investigation beginning in September 2023 when contacted by the now college-aged woman.

The probable cause affidavit said numerous assaults took place until she left the Quincy area for college when she was 19.

Stempien said even then, "There was a reluctance to go forward," but Stempien told MSP to complete the investigation.

At a jury trial, the prosecutor said that, given these facts, juries could question the evidence, making it difficult to convict beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Signor, a retired Michigan Department of Corrections officer, remains free on a $100,000 bond pending sentence.

Quincy Schools immediately terminated Signor when they learned of the charges against the long-time coach.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Former Quincy coach Scott Signor accepts a plea bargain in sex case