A former San Diego County sheriff’s deputy who pleaded guilty to molesting two underage girls and possessing images of child sexual abuse was sentenced Monday to 21 years and eight months to life in state prison.
Jose Apolonio Soto Jr., 52, who worked as a sheriff’s deputy for nearly 25 years, was arrested last year after a search warrant was served at his Chula Vista home.
In May, he was charged in San Diego Superior Court with possession of the sexual abuse images.
He later pleaded guilty to the possession charge, as well as felony counts of lewd acts on a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child. As part of his guilty plea, he stipulated to the prison term and is required to register as a sex offender.
Both victims appeared at Soto’s sentencing hearing and described the lasting trauma of the abuse they endured, the fear they felt while he was in their lives, and their ongoing mistrust of other people’s motives.
Soto also made a statement at the hearing, in which he said, “I pray to God that he will take the pain away from the emotional scars that I left behind. It is my hope that with the justice you get today, you’ll begin your recovery. You’ll live full and happy lives. Please don’t let my past mistakes define your future.”
Soto began working for the department as a detentions and court-services deputy in March 1998, according to sheriff’s officials. He retired in 2022, then was re-hired by the agency on a part-time basis.
Soto was fired from his part-time law enforcement job the same day of his arrest, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
