Derek Garcia, sentenced to 12 years in prison on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under the age of 13
PORTALES, N.M. -- A Portales man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexual offenses against a child.
Derek Garcia, 27, was convicted by a Portales jury for two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under the age of 13, which are second degree felonies. District Attorney Matt Chandler said it took the jurors less than half an hour to return the guilty verdict.
Garcia was immediately sentenced by the court to serve 12 years in prison for his crimes. The Court also found the crimes to be serious violent offenses, meaning Garcia must serve 85 percent of his total sentence before being considered for parole.
The case stems from February 12, 2009, when an 8-year-old child reported to a school social worker that she had been touched inappropriately by Derek Garcia, a family acquaintance. The Portales Police Department conducted a thorough investigation that revealed sufficient evidence of the crimes. A warrant for Garcia's arrest was then issued.
Following Garcia's release from prison, he also faces five to 25 years of an intensively supervised probation period, and will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
