23-year old Darwin Aguilar Vasquez entered a guilty plea on Monday in Catawba County Superior Court.
Judge Greg Hayes handed down a prison sentence of 12-19 years for statutory rape of a child younger than 15 years of age.
Vasquez also will have to register as a sex offender for 30 years and will be deported when his prison sentence ends.
The offenses covered a period of 10 months from November 2021 to August 2022 and involved a 13-year-old female victim.
The case was investigated by the Newton Police Department with assistance from the Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County.
Photo: Catawba County Detention Center