LOGAN — A 33-year-old Logan man, reportedly in the country illegally, has been sentenced to prison for molesting two children. Pedro Aristides Vales-Castro didn’t speak as a judge told him he didn’t deserve to be around other human beings.
Vales-Castro was sentenced Nov. 5 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He previously accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony; and three counts of sexual abuse of a child, amended to a second-degree felony.
According to prosecutors, North Park Police officers began investigating Vales-Castro after a 9-year-old girl disclosed how she was being sexually abused by a family friend. She described how the Logan man had molested her and her 11-year-old brother.
The two children were interviewed at the Cache Children’s Justice Center. They described separate incidents of Vales-Castro molesting them while they were in bed. The kids described how he would remove their clothing and inappropriately touch them.
The young girl told investigators how she would pretend to be asleep and keep her eyes closed during the incidents. The boy also described how the suspect would molest him, while the two sat on a couch and watched TV.
Officers determined Vales-Castro was from El Salvador. They noted he was an immigration violator, according to Customs and Border Patrol.
During Wednesday’s sentencing, Cache County Deputy Attorney Dane Murray asked the court for consecutive sentences, noting how the victims will be dealing with a lifetime of harm. He called Vales-Castro “a danger to children” and should be locked up for as long as possible.
Judge Angela Fonnesbeck said what the Logan man did made her sick just thinking about it. She agreed with Murray, sentencing Vales-Castro to a combined term of 9-years-to-life in prison, giving no credit for time already served.