By Randy Wyrick LEADVILLE – A Lake County jury convicted the former Lake County undersheriff on two sex assault charges.
Fernando Mendoza was found guilty by a jury late Monday afternoon on two counts:
Attempt to Commit First Degree Aggravated Incest, a felony, and
Attempt to Commit Invasion of Privacy for Sexual Gratification, a misdemeanor. The jury acquitted Mendoza of the other two charges against him: Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Child, and Embezzlement of Public Property both felonies. Mendoza was taken directly to jail after the verdicts were entered. His bond was raised to $250,000.
“These despicable acts were perpetrated upon a family member and further trampled on community trust, given the defendant’s position as a high-ranking, local law enforcement officer at the time of the crimes,” Bruce Brown, Fifth Judicial District Attorney. “I can only hope the victim and those lives he has harmed can heal after today’s verdict.”
Mendoza’s sentencing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Feb. 21, 2019, in Lake County. He faces a lengthy term in the Department of Corrections and mandatory sex offender treatment, Brown said
Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney’s Office collaborated on the case investigation.
What Mendoza did
Mendoza was fired from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office month …read more
Via:: Vail Daily Newspaper
