James Javier Cruz
A former coach at Alamogordo High School has pleaded guilty to charges of having sex with one of his student athletes in March.
James Javier Cruz, 29, who coached girls soccer and basketball and was also an employee of the Alamogordo Family Recreational Center, pleaded guilty last Tuesday to three counts of having sex with the 16-year-old girl.
Cruz faces up to four and a half years in prison and fines of up to $15,000. He remains free on a $40,000 bond. A date for sentencing has not been scheduled.
Chief Deputy District Attorney RoxeAnne B. Esquibel said the plea bargain means the victim won't have to testify in court. A jury trial for Cruz was scheduled to begin Monday. Cruz's attorney, Bert Atkins, declined to comment on the case.
Cruz was arrested in April on five counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. In the plea deal, five of those charges were dismissed, including three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and two counts of having sex with a minor.
The charges allege Cruz picked the girl up at Alamogordo High School before her fourth period class began and took her to his mother's apartment where they had sex.
http://www.teachercrime.com/new_mexico.html
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