Ex-CCSD teacher pleads guilty to lewdness charge
A pastor and former elementary school teacher who faced multiple counts of child sexual abuse has pleaded guilty to an attempted lewdness charge, court records show.
Reynaldo Crespin, 59, was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Feb. 19 after the Metropolitan Police Department put out a public alert noting he was wanted for sex crimes. The Clark County School District has said it hired Crespin in 2016 and that he last worked at Hickey Elementary School.
Crespin and his wife founded New Horizon Christian Church, 2167 N. Walnut Road, in 2002, according to the church’s website.
He initially faced two counts of sexual assault against a child under 16, two counts of sexual assault against a child under 14, four counts of lewdness with a child under 14, and one count each of open or gross lewdness and lewdness with a child age 14 or 15.
On Monday, Crespin pleaded guilty to attempted lewdness with a child under 14, court records show.
The guilty plea agreement calls for Crespin to be sentenced to between two and 20 years in prison, although a judge will have the final say in the sentence.
Crespin’s public defender, Kevin Speed, did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
In February, a woman told police that Crespin had physically and mentally abused her for years, with the latest assault occurring in December, police said.
Prosecutor William Rowles has said that once Crespin knew the woman planned to disclose the abuse he took steps to flee to New Mexico. Crespin resigned from his position with the school district, cut up his family’s bank cards, disconnected security cameras and Wi-Fi at their home and then vanished, police said.
Crespin remained in the Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday with $500,000 bail. A sentencing hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
