Cañon City man pleads guilty to amended child abuse charges – Canon City Daily Record

A Cañon City man arrested on charges of sexual assault of multiple children and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child pleaded guilty Monday to amended charges of child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and three counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

In his original case, Dominique Yazzie, 29, was arrested June 4 and charged with four counts of sexual assault of a child and repeated battery, each a Class 3 felony; four counts of sexual assault of a child by a child in a position of trust, each a Class 3 felony; and two counts of child abuse, each a class 2 misdemeanor.

He pleaded guilty to three amended counts of child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, each a Class 3 felony.

After his arrest, a search warrant was issued for his cell phone regarding allegations of child pornography. The search uncovered 827 images of sexual abuse material involving children as young as babies and toddlers, the affidavit states.

In that case, Yazzie was charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, each a Class 4 felony.

He pleaded guilty Monday to three of those charges.

The plea requests four years from the Department of Corrections for each of three child abuse counts, for a total of 12 years, to run consecutively, followed by 12 years of intensive supervised sex offender probation.

According to an arrest affidavit, Yazzie moved into the children’s family home in December. Family members of the children addressed the court Monday, expressing disappointment with the plea deal.

A family member read a letter written by the children’s mother, expressing her “deep concern and disappointment” over the amended charges.

“They are deliberately insufficient given the seriousness of the crimes,” the letter states. “This is not the first time he has victimized children, his past offenses have been sealed.”

Yazzie was charged in 2010 in Las Animal County with sexual assault of a child, a pattern of abuse, and a court decision was delayed. He was also required to register as a sex offender, the affidavit states.

“This has shattered my trust in the system that has failed to protect not only my children but others before them,” reads the letter from the victims’ mother. “If his criminal record had been made public, I would never have allowed him to be around my family. If he had had to register as a sex offender over the age of 18, my children would not be living with the trauma they face today.

She asked the court not to dismiss or reduce the child sex abuse charges.

District Court Judge Kaitlin Turner explained that only the district attorney’s office can decide what charges to pursue. Based on a pre-sentence investigation and an offense-specific assessment, his role will be to determine whether the recommended sentence is appropriate.

Yazzie’s sentencing is scheduled for January 7.