Immigrant Gets 3-Year Term In Child Sex Case

By THOMAS W. KRAUSE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 13, 2008

TAMPA - After pleading guilty Monday to attempted sexual battery on a child younger than 12, a 30-year-old man will serve three years in prison then be deported to his native Mexico.

Should Ebaristo Medina ever return to the United States, he could face up to 60 years in prison, prosecutors said.

On Jan. 24, 2007, Medina was arrested on charges that he sexually battered a 6-year-old girl for more than two months. Sheriff's deputies said he forced her to perform oral sex and, in one incident, he urinated and defecated on her.

Medina was charged with two counts of sexual battery on a child younger than 12. In a plea deal, prosecutors let him plead guilty to two charges of attempted sexual battery. Had he pleaded guilty to the original charges, he would have had an automatic life sentence, Assistant State Attorney Anthony Duran said.

After Medina finishes his three years in prison, he will serve 25 years on sex-offender probation and must register as a sexual predator. Immigration officials expect to deport Medina, Duran said. As a condition to his probation, should Medina re-enter the country, he could be sentenced to the maximum 30 years per count, Duran said.

The mother of Medina's victim said she was satisfied with the plea deal and was glad Medina will be removed from the country.

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