LAKE HAVASU CITY – A Lake Havasu City man who admitted involving a four-year-old male relative in a sex offense is going to the Arizona Department of Corrections. Joshua Sword, 20, was on Christmas leave after five months of basic training for the U.S. Army when the illegal activity occurred on December 28, 2018.
“He’s sorry for what’s happened,” defense attorney Robin Puchek said during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing in Kingman. “I think sexual confusion may have played a part in this.”
Puchek asked the Court for leniency and a probation sentence saying a Probation Department assessment views Sword as a low-to-moderate risk to offend again. And Puchek said the touching activity that occurred between the defendant and victim was relatively minor in the broad context of sex offenses.
“I made a mistake and I’m sorry for it,” Sword told Judge Doug Camacho.
The judge rejected probation for the plea agreement that resolves the case with an attempted child molestation conviction. “I just don’t feel comfortable placing the defendant on probation and I’m not going to do that,” Camacho said
Judge Camacho ordered a five year prison term for Sword.
- Dave Hawkins
