MARYSVILLE – Municipal Court Judge Lorrie Towers and two juvenile victims held nothing back at a former corrections officer’s sentencing last week.
An ex-Department of Correction officer, Ricardo Garcia Diaz, pled guilty to four sex crimes Sept. 27.
Victim 1’s mother said her daughter suffers from anxiety. She is 15 1/2 and unable to walk home from school or around her neighborhood without fear.
“It only takes one person’s actions to change someone’s view and their life,” her mom said.
Victim 2’s father said they had lived in their neighborhood for 15 years and had always felt safe. His daughter wrote she was taught to respect people in uniform, and the defendant betrayed that trust. “Mom took me to school for five months because I didn’t feel safe in my neighborhood. I don’t know if I can ever forgive you. I hope you get the help you need to be a better man,” she wrote.
Towers said Garcia Diaz’s actions changed their lives.
“These young women believed the world was safe, and your behavior changed that,” Towers said. “Today is their day to take back their lives to face you and say what you did was wrong. This will impact these young girls for the rest of their lives. Their loss of innocence can never be taken back.”
Towers sentenced Garcia Diaz to 30 days in jail on each of the four charges. He was set to report to the Marysville Jail Monday. He was also fined, ordered to receive sexual deviance treatment and to register as a sex offender with the Snohomish County sheriff’s office. He also will be on probation for two years after his release in four months.
Garcia Diaz was charged with exposing himself in three Marysville incidents, including to two minor girls in October last year. He pled guilty to two counts of Communicating with a Minor for Immoral Purposes and two counts of Indecent Exposure. City Prosecutor Al Treacy said these types of crime are not tolerated in this community. Although three underage victims were recognized in these criminal proceedings, the defendant had admitted to six victims and has a pattern of troubling behavior, Treacy said, including abusing his position of authority as a corrections officer.
Defense attorney Lauren Wegener addressed victims and their families, saying Garcia Diaz has demonstrated that he accepts responsibility for his actions. “He wants to be better and never hurt anybody else,” she said.
Garcia Diaz added: “I am so sorry. I know words don’t fix anything. I’m not a monster. I am getting the help that I need. This won’t happen again.”
Garcia Diaz was an officer at the time and has since lost that job.
Police reports say:
On Oct. 19, 2017 at 2:48 p.m. a 14-year-old girl was asked by a man if she wanted to see his penis. The girl was walking home in the 6800 block of 71st St. NE. The silver car had tinted windows. When she said, “no,” the man drove off.
At 3:40 p.m. that same day, at 72nd Drive NE and Grove, a man exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl. The girl said she could see the man’s penis through the passenger side window. She walked on, and the man drove away.
Using a home’s survelliance video, police showed the two victims pictures of the suspect. After identification, they found him in his car wearing a DOC uniform. He was arrested.
– Connie Mennie, communications director for the city of Marysville, contributed to this report.
