Bryan Taylor, Canyon County Prosecutor, announced that Hugo Vega Sandoval, age 49, of Caldwell, was sentenced on August 16, 2022, by the Honorable Matthew J. Roker on one felony count of Battery with the Intent to Commit a Serious Felony – Rape.
Hugo V. Sandoval
Sandoval pleaded guilty via an Alford plea to an amended charge of Battery with the Intent to Commit a Serious Felony – Rape, on April 26, 2022, pursuant to a plea agreement and appeared for sentencing on August 16, 2022.
At the sentencing hearing, the State asked for the maximum sentence allowed under the plea agreement: that the Judge impose a sentence of three (3) years fixed, followed by 12 years indeterminate, for a total unified sentence of 15 years in prison. The Defense asked for three (3) years fixed, followed by five (5) years indeterminate, but asked the court to retain jurisdiction. Judge Roker sentenced Vega Sandoval to three (3) years fixed, followed by seven (7) years indeterminate, but retained jurisdiction meaning Vega Sandoval would be eligible to be placed on probation and released to the community within 6-12 months. Judge Roker also ordered Vega Sandoval to register as a sex offender, submit a DNA sample to the Idaho database, and have no contact with the victim or have any unsupervised contact with a minor for 15 years.
Sandoval was indicted in July 2021 on one count of Lewd Conduct with a Minor under 16 and one count of Sexual Abuse of a Child under 16. Sandoval was caught by a family member molesting a pre-school-aged child and the family member reported the incident to law enforcement.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Roker commented on the fact that Sandoval was admittedly a generational offender, meaning that he had offended on another victim from a previous generation, as well as on the new information that the defendant had previously offended on animals. Judge Roker also commented on his concern due to the Defendant’s position of authority in the community as a Pastor.