A 70-year-old Durango man was sentenced to six years probation Thursday for sexually assaulting a small child.
Frederick Blevins, who has been in jail for 189 days, is expected to be released this week as a result of the plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child.
He must register as a sex offender, complete sexual-offender treatment and abstain from drugs and alcohol during the next six years.
The child’s mother questioned why some drug users are sentenced to more jail time than a man who harmed a child.
Sixth Judicial District Judge Todd Norvell used stern language in addressing Blevins.
“I can tell you, if you violate probation, you’re going to prison. Do you understand me?” the judge asked.
He added: “You are not touching alcohol while you are on probation. Do you understand that? ... Don’t come back. Do we understand each other?”
Blevins was arrested in February for making inappropriate contact with a child Feb. 5 in the Hermosa area, north of Durango. A woman who was baby-sitting the child said she stepped outside briefly for a cigarette, and when she looked through a sliding glass door, she saw Blevins touching the child around her waist area while sitting with her on a couch, according to an arrest affidavit. When she came back inside, the child immediately said Blevins touched her private parts.
Blevins denied doing anything inappropriate, but in a phone call monitored by the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, he gave mixed answers in response to what happened. At times, he didn’t remember anything that happened; at other times, he apologized for “whatever” happened; and at other times, he said nothing inappropriate happened.
The child repeated her statements to a nurse during a forensic interview.
Blevins said he had been drinking alcohol at the time and didn’t remember doing anything inappropriate.
Deputy District Attorney Reid Stewart said the plea agreement was the best outcome he could hope for given the limited evidence.
Norvell seemed to agree, saying prosecutors were faced with a difficult case to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.
He approved the plea agreement, saying Blevins will be monitored by probation staff, will have to register as a sex offender, must obtain sex-offender treatment, and must abstain from drugs and alcohol.
The judge called it a “horrible, despicable” crime that has caused “heartache and untold misery” for the victim and her family. He imposed 90 days jail, but the punishment was a formality since Blevins has already served 189 days in jail and will receive credit for time served.
shane@durangoherald.com
