[Vision2020] Satan-blaming church deacon gets rider in sex abuse case

[Saundra Lund]

I've not made any secret of the fact I think justice demands that sex
offenders receive among the state's most severe sentences.  And, if we don't
have enough "space" in prison, then we need to start clearing out
non-violent offenders to make room for those for whom justice demands
incarceration for a good stretch.

 

Further, I think that when the abuser is in a position of trust and/or power
over the victim - be the position of power from a church, from law
enforcement, from education, etc. - I think the nature of the crime is
particularly heinous and demands a particularly stiff sentence.  Some crimes
are so heinous and so damaging that punishment demands incarceration, and
sex crimes committed by those in a position of trust and/or power fall into
the "demand significant incarceration" category.

 

The case below is one such case.  Retained jurisdiction ("rider" program) in
most sex offense cases is a gross abuse of any notion of justice IMO.  BTW,
some may wonder what the recidivism rate is for those who receive a retained
jurisdiction sentence like this evil man received.  According to the Idaho
Department of Corrections, the recidivism rate for the Rider Program is a
whopping 42%.

http://www.idoc.idaho.gov/content/document/brief_sheet_recidivism

 

 

Saundra

 

Satan-blaming church deacon gets rider in sex abuse case

Katie Terhune, KTVB 2:52 p.m. MDT July 29, 2014

 



 

CALDWELL-- A Nampa deacon who claimed that Satan took control of his body
and made him molest a 12-year-old girl in a church storage room is headed to
prison.

But 57-year-old Alexander Gonzales Garcia, who was arrested in December,
could spend only a year behind bars after Judge Bradly S. Ford opted Tuesday
to retain jurisdiction.

Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in prison with five years before parole
eligibility, but could still be released as early as 2015 if he successfully
completes his term of retained jurisdiction, commonly known as a "rider."

He will also be required to register as a sex offender and pay about $8,000
in civil fines and court costs.

Garcia, a deacon with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nampa, was
originally charged with lewd conduct with a minor under 16. In an interview
with police detectives, he admitted touching the girl inappropriately during
a July potluck at the church, but insisted Satan had been in the storage
room with him, and had made him molest the girl.

He pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in March, and prosecutors
recommended a sentence of retained jurisdiction.

"Mr. Garcia used his position of trust in the church to take advantage of
the victim, and he deserves to be behind bars where he can no longer be a
danger to the community," said Prosecutor Bryan Taylor. "This case should
serve as a reminder to every parent that you need to be very careful of who
your kids are hanging around with."

 

 

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