Middletown Man Sentenced to Prison Time for Sexually Abusing a Minor

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, Cecilio Navarro Rodriguez, age 35, of Middletown, was sentenced to a total of twenty-two years to life (22- Life) in prison in connection with his convictions for having repeated sexual contact with a child. On March 14, 2023, Navarro was convicted by a jury in the Orange County Court of Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child, Rape in the Second Degree, and Rape in the Third Degree.

Attorney Hoovler Announces Prison Sentence in Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child Case

The District Attorney’s Office had recommended that Navarro be sentenced to twenty-five years to life (25 – Life) on the charge of Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child, seven (7) years in prison on the charge of Rape in the Second Degree, and four (4) years in prison for the charge of Rape in the Third Degree. The District Attorney’s Office also recommended that those sentences be ordered to run consecutively for a total sentence of thirty-six years to life (36 to Life) in state prison.

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The County Court Judge sentenced Navarro to twenty-two years to life (22 – Life) on the charge of Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child; seven (7) years in prison, and ten (10) years post-release supervision on the charge of Rape in the Second Degree; and four (4) years in prison, and ten (10) years post-release supervision, for the charge of Rape in the Third Degree. The Judge ordered those sentences to run concurrently for a total sentence of twenty-two years to life (22 -Life) in prison.

Defendant Convicted of all Counts Presented to the Jury Against Him Sentenced to 22 years to Life in Prison

At the trial, prosecutors argued that evidence proved that between December 1, 2016, and October 27, 2018, Navarro engaged in two or more acts of sexual conduct with a child less than thirteen years old. Prosecutors also argued that evidence in the case showed that in 2019 Navarro had sexual intercourse with a child less than fifteen years old, and in 2021 engaged in sexual intercourse with a child of less than seventeen years old. Navarro was arrested by the Orange County Child Investigation Unit and has been incarcerated since June 14, 2022. The trial commenced on March 7, 2023.

District Attorney Hoovler thanked the Orange County Child Abuse Investigation Unit and its member organizations including the New York State Police and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation which led to the arrest of the defendant.

District Attorney David M. Hoovler said:

“The evidence at trial conclusively proved that this defendant had, since 2016, been a sexual predator preying on the most helpless type of victim, a child. The community will undoubtedly be safer during the decades that he is in prison.
Children are the most innocent and vulnerable of victims and we must do everything in our power to protect them from sexual predators. This result would not have been possible without the work of the Orange County Child Abuse Investigation Unit, victim advocates from Fearless! and the bravery of the victim, who was forced to confront this defendant in a very public forum after he refused to take responsibility for his actions.”

This criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.