LIHUE — A Kauai woman pleaded no contest Monday in 5th Circuit Court to felony sex and pornography charges involving a minor. Jean Agonoy Paleracio, 33, pleaded no contest to first-degree sexual assault and to first-degree promotion of child abuse.
LIHUE — A Kauai woman pleaded no contest Monday in 5th Circuit Court to felony sex and pornography charges involving a minor.
Jean Agonoy Paleracio, 33, pleaded no contest to first-degree sexual assault and to first-degree promotion of child abuse.
Had she taken her case to trial, the state would have pursued nine counts of first-degree sexual assault along with two charges of first-and-second-degree promotion of child abuse.
County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Arin said in court that Paleracio had engaged in sexual activity with a minor male under the age of 14 years old between May 1, 2009 and Sept. 1, 2010.
Arin said the promotion of child abuse charge stems from Paleracio producing or participating in the preparation of child pornography materials with a minor engaging in or assisting others to engage in sexual conduct.
The state also agreed in the plea not to pursue another charge filed by the Kauai Police Department.
In her statement to the court about why she is accepting the plea deal, Paleracio said she did not want to challenge the charges at trial.
Both charges are class A felonies that carry a maximum 20-year prison term. The state will seek the maximum term but agreed to request concurrent terms.
Judge Kathleen Watanabe said the court would have the option of honoring the plea deal at the sentencing hearing scheduled for April.
The court could also choose to set the deal aside and apply extended sentencing, she said.
Extended sentencing for two A felony charges is an indeterminate life sentence. This was a sexually violent offense and involved sex with a minor, Watanabe said.
The case was sent to circuit court through a commitment from the district court with waiver of preliminary hearing on Aug. 20.
A pre-sentence investigation of Paleracio showed that she had completed two years of college and has no prior convictions.
Private attorney Warren Perry was appointed by the court to represent Paleracio after the state public defender’s office presented a potential conflict of interest issue in the case.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney stated it could not comment further the defendant’s actions and relationship with the victim until sentencing. The case is sealed.
