Antonio Hernandez Aparicio, 50, of Catawba, was given an active prison sentence of five to 11 years following his conviction for a sex crime involving his female relative during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.
The Honorable George C. Bell, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, imposed the prison term for Aparicio after he pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree forcible sex offense.
The defendant will serve his sentence in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections, be required to register as a sex offender for 30 years, and is subject to deportation.
The crime occurred at the end of last year at the defendant’s residence, and involved the defendant’s non-biological granddaughter. Aparicio’s wife discovered the defendant on top of the victim in a bedroom on December 22, 2018, and immediately called 911. The defendant hastily gathered his belongings and fled the residence before police arrived. Aparicio was apprehended hours after the incident in Little Rock, Arkansas. The victim revealed in an interview that the defendant had performed oral sex on her without her consent. DNA evidence submitted to the State Crime Lab helped secure the conviction against the defendant. Due to the age of the victim, no statutory sex offenses were implicated by the defendant’s conduct.
Inv. Mike Crisp, Jr, handled the investigation for the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County. Assistant District Attorney Scott Lippert prosecuted the matter for the State.
CONTACT: Nathan Key
Phone: 828-695-6193
Email: Nathan.D.Key@nccourts.org