03/15/10

Two and half years ago, 19 year old Mauro Nunez of Hailey was sentenced to three years probation after a 15 year old girl said he raped her in the back of his car in a remote location. She took the witness stand, along with another girl who said Nunez raped her in October of last year.

During the pre-sentence investigation for this case, Nunez, now 21 years old, admitted to doing the same thing to four other underage girls.

Monday, one of the prosecutors pointed out that Nunez had used alcohol during both of the last two incidents.

In a plea bargain agreement two months ago, Nunez pled guilty to charge of felony injury to a child, which was reduced from one charge of rape.

District Judge Robert Elgee told Nunez that he was on probation for this type of activity, and he went back to it; Elgee told Nunez he had avoided responsibility for his actions and taunted the victim.

Nunez addressed the court and said, “I had a beautiful girlfriend, which I'm sure you know her. A beautiful girlfriend who was a soccer player, and I ruined all that due to my alcoholism. Now they're attacking me from another side? They know I'm not a bad person, they don't know my life.”

Elgee said he was angered and disgusted by what he'd heard Nunez say; and said if it wasn't for the plea bargain with a total possible sentence of six years in prison, Nunez would have gone to prison for a lot longer.

Nunez will now serve three years fixed, three years indeterminate in the Idaho State Penitentiary.