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Sanchez (January 9, 2013) |
A plea deal is in the works for the former Imperial Irrigation District director who has been charged in connection with allegedly hitting his stepson last year.
Though a plea bargain hasn’t been finalized, Deputy District Attorney Heather Trapnell said in court Wednesday that she and the defense attorney have discussed it. The settlement would have Anthony Sanchez, who has been charged with both a felony count of child abuse and a misdemeanor count involving putting a child in a situation where he or she may be endangered, plead guilty to the misdemeanor with the felony count dropped.
Sanchez is accused of hitting his stepson with a belt in a video that made national news in June. Sanchez pleaded not guilty to the felony and misdemeanor counts against him.
Both the defendant and District Attorney’s Office have discussed the plea but are waiting for the court to decide a possible punishment for the misdemeanor charge before a final decision is made. Defense attorney Ryan Childers said that while Sanchez is open to settling the case, there has to be some indication that there would be no jail time.
The maximum sentence for the misdemeanor would be a year in jail, with the minimum being no jail time and probation. There may also be additional requirements of counseling.
It’s more likely that it would be a no jail type of situation, Sanchez’s attorney Childers said, because, “He
(Sanchez) has no prior record and an outstanding record of community service, not just in his elected position, but all the things he did leading up to that.”
A lot of people in the community have also written letters of support, speaking to his character, and the defense has reports from counseling sessions Sanchez has been to saying that Sanchez is not an abusive person, Childers continued.
It has been Childers’ position from the beginning that the conduct shown in the video does not cross the threshold for being illegal.
“If we were to go forward with a trial, we would be rolling the dice that a jury would agree with my assessment of the case, and the stakes are very very high in that instance,” Childers said, explaining that a felony conviction could carry up to six years in prison. “With something like this that may potentially involve no jail time and something on his record that is minimal, we have to go forward, regardless of what we think the outcome might be.”
Deputy District Attorney Trapnell reserved her opinion on what the sentencing may be, instead saying that that decision would be up to the court.
Digital Media News Editor Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
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