A Newton man has been sentenced to three years in state prison for allegedly having sexual contact with a nine-year-old on multiple occasions and violating a court ordered restraining order. According to the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office, Fernando Diaz was also sentenced on Friday, February 7 to parole supervision for life and is required to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law.
The 39-year-old was reportedly arrested in December of 2018 and two hours after being released from custody he was found hiding in the basement of the victim's home which lead to him being arrested again. At first Diaz allegedly denied having sexual contact with the girl but later on told police that he "may have accidentally touched" her but didn't remember how.
Diaz pled guilty to third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree contempt in October.
Read the Sussex County Prosecutor's press release here.
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