Former Coach Sentenced In Sexual Misconduct
March 22, 2019 at 4:06 p.m.
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Kosciusko County Superior Court I Judge David Cates gave Joshua M. Vallejo, 29, of Warsaw, six years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, with three years suspended for probation. Vallejo can serve the remainder of his sentence in work release if he qualifies and remains qualified for it.
As part of a plea agreement, a charge of child solicitation, a Class D felony, was dismissed.
He is to have no contact with his victim and must register as a sex offender. He must maintain employment and pay $50 per week toward his court obligations. He must receive counseling at his own expense and be successful at it. He must pay the cost of the action and all fines and fees.
Cates delayed the time for Vallejo to start his sentence until 4 p.m. April 4.
Police said Vallejo had inappropriate sexual contact with a female student that attended Wawasee Middle School while he served as the middle school wrestling coach. The contact is alleged to have happened five to six years ago. The alleged contact occurred prior to July 2014 when Indiana began to classify felonies as levels.
In court Thursday, Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Voelz said the victim and her mother had intended to come but the victim was too distraught and went to a medical appointment instead. The mother wrote a letter, which Voelz requested to read in court.
Vallejo’s attorney, John D. Barrett, objected saying it wasn’t a victim’s statement but her mother’s. Cates sustained the objection.
Voelz continued and said that much of what was in the pre-sentence investigation report was confidential so he didn’t want to bring it out in court, but he didn’t disagree to any of it.
Barrett said Vallejo knows he’s facing a significant sentence. “In the last 15 to 16 years, I’ve never saw a report with more mitigating factors,” he said, adding there were no aggravating factors. He also said Vallejo was remorseful and sought help by professionals on his own to understand why and how what happened did happen. He said Vallejo wants to make sure it never happens again.
Barrett pointed out that Vallejo’s family and friends were in the court to support him. He said Vallejo is a good husband and dad but did a “bad thing” and had a “lapse of judgment,” but that doesn’t define who he is.
Given the opportunity to speak on his own behalf, Vallejo said, “I take full responsibility for my actions. I am sorry for all the actions that have occurred.”
In accepting Vallejo’s plea, Cates said there were many mitigating factors, but took exception that there weren’t any aggravating factors. Cates said Vallejo was in a position of trust and violated that trust and that was a big aggravating factor.
“I can’t get the aggravating factor out of my head,” Cates said.
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Kosciusko County Superior Court I Judge David Cates gave Joshua M. Vallejo, 29, of Warsaw, six years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, with three years suspended for probation. Vallejo can serve the remainder of his sentence in work release if he qualifies and remains qualified for it.
As part of a plea agreement, a charge of child solicitation, a Class D felony, was dismissed.
He is to have no contact with his victim and must register as a sex offender. He must maintain employment and pay $50 per week toward his court obligations. He must receive counseling at his own expense and be successful at it. He must pay the cost of the action and all fines and fees.
Cates delayed the time for Vallejo to start his sentence until 4 p.m. April 4.
Police said Vallejo had inappropriate sexual contact with a female student that attended Wawasee Middle School while he served as the middle school wrestling coach. The contact is alleged to have happened five to six years ago. The alleged contact occurred prior to July 2014 when Indiana began to classify felonies as levels.
In court Thursday, Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Voelz said the victim and her mother had intended to come but the victim was too distraught and went to a medical appointment instead. The mother wrote a letter, which Voelz requested to read in court.
Vallejo’s attorney, John D. Barrett, objected saying it wasn’t a victim’s statement but her mother’s. Cates sustained the objection.
Voelz continued and said that much of what was in the pre-sentence investigation report was confidential so he didn’t want to bring it out in court, but he didn’t disagree to any of it.
Barrett said Vallejo knows he’s facing a significant sentence. “In the last 15 to 16 years, I’ve never saw a report with more mitigating factors,” he said, adding there were no aggravating factors. He also said Vallejo was remorseful and sought help by professionals on his own to understand why and how what happened did happen. He said Vallejo wants to make sure it never happens again.
Barrett pointed out that Vallejo’s family and friends were in the court to support him. He said Vallejo is a good husband and dad but did a “bad thing” and had a “lapse of judgment,” but that doesn’t define who he is.
Given the opportunity to speak on his own behalf, Vallejo said, “I take full responsibility for my actions. I am sorry for all the actions that have occurred.”
In accepting Vallejo’s plea, Cates said there were many mitigating factors, but took exception that there weren’t any aggravating factors. Cates said Vallejo was in a position of trust and violated that trust and that was a big aggravating factor.
“I can’t get the aggravating factor out of my head,” Cates said.
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