He whimpered and cried his way through his sentencing hearing. And in a rambling stream of consciousness sort of fashion, Leston Coleman told the Court about his abusive upbringing and his love for his family while insisting he never molested a 28 year-old woman with the mental capacity of a seven year-old girl.
Coleman, 44, Kingman, entered a plea agreement dictating a vulnerable adult abuse conviction to avoid more severe punishment possibilities if he was convicted in a jury trial. But in scores of pages of hand-scribbled notes to the Court, and during his January 4 sentencing hearing, Coleman maintained his innocence.
``I will not and I cannot put up with the lies and the injustice," Coleman said. Coleman has alleged he's been falsely accused by the alleged victim, wrongly implicated by family members and railroaded by police and prosecutors.
``What can I say? What can I do?," Coleman murmured. ``All I can do is try to tell my side but I cannot convince nobody because they only one that I have faith in is between me and God. That's it!"
Coleman's mother Peggy told the Court the victim's own brother was responsible for the molestation. She said law enforcement has picked on the family as evidenced by a shoplifting allegation at a local grocery store.
``We've been targeted," Mrs. Coleman said. ``I just know my son is not guilty."
Deputy county attorney Victoria Stazio told Mohave County Superior Court Judge Rick Williams that Coleman has blamed everyone, but accepted no blame himself.
``The defendant had sex with his stepdaughter who, at the time, had the mental level of a second grader," Stazio said. ``He took advantage of someone who didn't have the means or the know how to protect herself."
Judge Williams ordered that Coleman will serve 30 months in prison.
``The Court believes this is a very serious offense," Williams said. ``It involves a violation of a position of trust. It involves some clearly wrong conduct , and not on just one occasion, but over a period of time that resulted in some extreme emotional harm to the victim."
|
E-Mail Story
Print Story
