Pedroza Pleads Guilty to Sex Crimes With Minors, Gets 90 Days

Jason Pedroza, the 27-year-old former Lesher Center employee charged with inappropriate contact with two minors last year, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two charges of sex crimes involving minors in exchange for a 90-day sentence, according to the Contra Costa Times. 

He pleaded guilty to one charge of using a minor for engage in child pornography and misdemeanor child molestation. He will have to register as a life-long sex offender, spend ten years on probation and permanently stay away from his three victims. 

Two of Pedroza's victims spoke in court Wednesday of the damage he did to their young lives. He will be formally sentenced on Oct. 11. 

Pedroza's actions also led to shockwaves at City Hall. Four employees were placed on leave with pay while an outside investigator looked into the way they handled the Pedroza incident. The four employees were returned to their jobs after the investigator concluded they handled things properly.

But City Attorney Bryan Wenter resigned after he said Mayor Cindy Silva and another city council member tried to put a stop to the investigation. Silva and councilman Bob Simmons denied trying to do anything more than bring the investigation to a timely end. 

Human Resources Director Sally Rice also resigned. The investigator said that she and City Manager Ken Nordhoff were elusive and sometimes untruthful in their answers about the incident.