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Santa Maria teen pleads no contest in sexual assault case
Posted: Oct 9, 2012 6:30 PM by Nikki Ibarra
Updated: Oct 10, 2012 7:03 AM
One of two Santa Maria teens accused of sexually assaulting a fellow St. Joseph High School student entered a plea of no contest Tuesday.
Back in June, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney filed charges against the 18 year-old for sexually assaulting a fellow student.
The case is one of several involving the Santa Maria high school. 18 year-old Shane Villalpando, a former St. Joe's student, is also charged with sexual assault.
The school's principal, Joseph Myers, and former dean of students, John Walker, were found guilty last week for failing to report the alleged assault to police.
Walker was found not guilty of failing to report a second case.
The media was asked to leave the courtroom due to the nature of the case.
Jane Doe #1 was in the courtroom along with her parents. She was the first person to walk out and, as she came out, she threw her hands in the air and was visibly pleased with the outcome. This means she will no longer have to go through trial.
KSBY's Nikki Ibarra spoke with her father and he said he and his family are happy with the plea and they're just looking forward to moving on from this entire situation.
Also present, the family of the teen involved in the case, whose name is not being released because he was a juvenile at the time of the crime.
The former St. Joe's student will be released from juvenile hall later Tuesday. He's been in custody since April.
KSBY spoke with the teens grandmother before court and she expressed concerns about the charges her grandson faced. She described him as a good kid, who has never been in trouble with the law.
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