23-year-old Darwin Aguilar Vasquez of Conover will serve an active prison sentence of 12-19 years following his conviction for statutory rape of a child younger than 15 years of age. The Honorable Gregory R. Hayes, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, imposed the terms of the negotiated plea arrangement after Vasquez entered his guilty plea during Catawba County Superior Court yesterday (March 6).

The defendant will serve his sentence in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections. He also will have to register as a sex offender for 30 years and will be deported when his prison sentence ends.

The offenses covered a period of ten months from November 2021 to August 2022 and involved a 13-year-old female victim. During a forensic interview with the Children’s Advocacy & Protection Center of Catawba County, the victim said that Vasquez had vaginal intercourse with her. He also forced her to send him photos of herself in provocative positions. Investigators found those images on Vasquez’s phone.

The case was investigated by Curt Smithey of Newton Police Department with assistance from the C.A.P.C. Assistant District Attorney Jessica Phillips handled prosecution with assistance from Legal Assistant Dea Crowe.