Attorney Kyle Humphrey of Humphrey & Thompson in Bakersfield has secured another important victory for one of his clients. Where a year of jail time had once been on the table, Attorney Humphrey secured a plea deal with no jail time at all.
In this recent case, he defended former Delano police chief Mark DeRosia, who was charged with an internet sex crime. Specifically, he was arrested after engaging in a sexually graphic conversation online with an adult whom he had been led to believe (through a sheriff’s department sting operation) was a minor.
The no-contest plea deal arranged by Attorney Humphrey and the prosecution includes no jail time but does include:
- 10-year registration as a sex offender
- 240 hours of community service
- Probation
- Counseling
During discussions, both Attorney Humphrey and the District Attorney’s Office considered the fact that DeRosia had never made plans to meet the “decoy minor” in person. Instead, he used the dating app Grindr to engage in sexually explicit conversations. The fact that he had no intention of meeting the person behind the account in person played a part in negotiating the no-contest plea deal with no jail time. Furthermore, DeRosia argued that he thought the person on the other account was 18 and pretending to be 15 because the profile stated he was 18.
“These cases are always tough because these people are not predators, and they’re not human traffickers, and they’re not pedophiles. They’re people looking for adult companions,” Attorney Humphrey stated after the hearing that announced the court’s acceptance of the plea deal.
You can learn more about this case by clicking here to view a full article from KGET NBC. We also encourage you to browse our case results and blog for more success stories from Attorney Kyle Humphrey and Attorney Jared Thompson of Humphrey & Thompson.
Need the help of a criminal defense attorney in Delano, Bakersfield, or Kern County? Our team can handle cases involving sex crimes, felonies, DUIs, misdemeanors, violent crimes, theft crimes, drug crimes, federal crimes, and many more. Call our firm at (661) 760-7678 now and request an initial consultation.
