State v. Mr. V (DMC No. 18200) – (3 Counts) Felony Sexual Conduct with a Minor (Dangerous Crimes Against Children) 21-year-old Adult/14-year-old Minor, and (1 Count) Felony Child Sexual Abuse (DCAC) – Reduced to Probation (with 3 Months in Jail) – Maricopa County Superior Court (Case No. CR2022-002431) 

Mr. V was 21 years old and was having a relationship with a girl who he thought was 15. In reality she was 14. While they were engaged in a sex act, the younger sister walked into the room and saw this occurring and screamed at him to leave and she called their mom. Both Mr. V and the girl left the house. The girl was designated as a “runaway”, and the Police then got involved.

When they found the girl approximately a day later, she said she ran away because she knew her mother would be upset. They tracked down Mr. V through a parking lot video that showed his license plate, and they eventually made contact with him six months later. They showed up with a Search Warrant, and obtained a buccal swab in order to check for DNA. Mr. V told them that this was a misunderstanding, and he was merely giving the runaway a ride, and told her she could stay with him for one night. It was after he was charged with 3 Counts of Felony Sexual Conduct with a Minor (Dangerous Crimes Against Children), and 1 Count of Sexual Abuse (DCAC) that he contacted DM Cantor for services. 

We immediately ordered the Police Report, and all body camera video. The first problem the government had was that the body camera malfunctioned and nothing was audio or video recorded. Secondly, DNA results came back that had our Client and another unknown contributor for sperm that was obtained. Given these issues that the State had with their case, along with extensive Mitigation that we presented to the Prosecutor, they agreed to extend an Offer which included Probation and 3 Months in Jail. Had Mr. V been Convicted of all the original counts, the Mandatory Minimum amount of time in Prison would have been over 40 Years.