By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – On Tuesday, Graham County Attorney L. Scott Bennett stood before a courtroom and implored Graham County Superior Court Judge Pro Tem Travis W. Ragland to send a message that crimes against children would be dealt with most extremely and sentence a serial child sex abuser to life in prison.
“A child should be innocent and be able to live her life and grow and mature and experience life in a manner that we consider to be normal,” Bennett addressed the court. “That life, that opportunity, was taken away by the defendant before she even began to live her life. He decided that his own needs, his own desires, what he wanted to do was more important than allowing this child to live a life. He effectively took away her innocence and the life that she should have had. For him to pay for it with his life is not only appropriate, it’s mandated.”
Graham County Superior Court Judge Travis W. Ragland appeared to agree and sentenced Michael Paul Calderon, 42, of Safford, to life in prison on one count of sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 12, a class-2 felony. As per Arizona statute, Calderon must serve at least 35 years day for day before he is eligible for parole. That means he will be 77 years old before a parole board can review his case.
The sentence was stipulated in a plea agreement that dropped 16 of the 21 charges against Calderon, including child molestation and additional sexual conduct with a minor charges. It also amended four counts to attempted sexual conduct with a minor. Calderon received a sentence of lifetime sexual offender probation on the amended counts, should he ever leave prison.
Calderon was initially arrested Oct. 2 after he was reportedly caught performing oral sex on the victim, who is under the age of 15. An investigation learned that the abuse had been going on for multiple years against a single victim.
The victim’s mother addressed the court, and a representative from Victim’s Witness read a letter from the victim to her abuser. In the letter, the victim said Calderon’s actions have forever harmed her.
The victim, flanked in support by family and members of a motorcycle group, stared down her abuser in court as he kept his head down and avoided eye contact with anyone.
The Unbroken Motorcycle Club out of Phoenix and members of the Wild Bunch motorcycle riders of Safford were on hand to show their support for the abused child in the molestation case.
The Unbroken MC is a trade name of its nonprofit 501(c)(3), Protect the Children Inc. In the program, bikers provide security whenever a child feels unsafe, escort the family to court and back home, promote community awareness, and even help with therapy costs and other essentials, such as school supplies.
Calderon did not address the court himself, but his attorney, Dennis McCarthy, said that Calderon expressed remorse for his actions.
“He’s expressed to me that he’s deeply regretful for what he did,” McCarthy said.
After the sentence was carried out, Calderon was fingerprinted and then escorted out of the courtroom to begin his life sentence in prison.
“There are cases that are aggravated when there is absolute betrayal of trust,” Bennett finished his summation to the court. “And to illustrate that point beyond the abuse that we’ve been discussing, when this happened and the defendant was arrested the victim said to her mother, ‘Mom what are we gonna do? How are we going to support ourselves?’
This defendant had painted the picture for this little girl that if she did not submit to his abuse and provide what he wanted by way of his desires, their family couldn’t go on. That’s what he told this little girl; that was the life she was living, and even after all this abuse, her focus was on how are we possibly going to survive.
Judge, that is the definition of betrayal of trust. That is cowardly, that is disgusting, and that needs to be punished. Judge, please follow the plea agreement. Please order a life sentence for this defendant, thank you.”
