Despite protest by victim's mom, molester gets agreed sentence
May 1—Despite the request of a child sexual assault victim's mother for a longer sentence, a Hartford Superior Court judge on Thursday gave the molester the two-year prison term that both sides in the case had agreed on when he entered his plea bargain in March.
Judge Laura F. Baldini imposed the sentence on Jason Quiles, 40, who has listed an address on Tariff Street in Enfield, for the second-degree sexual assault he had pleaded guilty to.
The mother, whose name is being withheld to protect her daughter's identity, acknowledged in a telephone interview with the Journal Inquirer in March that she had agreed to the plea bargain before Quiles accepted it. But she said she hadn't known at that time that it would lead to Quiles becoming eligible for release from jail immediately after he was sentenced.
The reason for his release eligibility is that he has been in jail, unable to post $175,000 bond, since his arrest on Feb. 20, 2020 — time that will be credited against his sentence. Connecticut prisoners serving sentences up to two years are eligible for release after serving half the time, making Quiles eligible for release now.
Statements by the sexual-assault victim and her mother, read by a victim advocate during Thursday's hearing, portrayed the sexual abuse of the girl, which occurred when she was 12, as part of a broader pattern of abuse of her and others by Quiles.
"The man is scary," the girl said in her statement, according to an audio recording of the hearing, which was held via teleconference. She added that the sexual abuse "made me feel like I was disgusting."
Prosecutor David Zagaja said he couldn't disagree with the portrayal of Quiles by the girl and her mother. He also agreed that Quiles deserves a longer sentence.
"He is an abusive, domineering, manipulative person who took advantage of a young child," the prosecutor said.
But Zagaja also said he "considered all the circumstances" when he agreed to the plea bargain — and he asked the judge to impose the agreed-upon sentence.
If the judge had sought to impose a longer sentence, Quiles would have had the right to withdraw his guilty pleas. That could have led to a trial, at which the girl would have been required to testify and undergo cross examination by his public defender, Rashad Glass.
Glass said Quiles has been incarcerated for 14 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said Quiles has made good use of his time in jail, studying religion; taking significant steps toward getting his GED, the equivalent of a high-school diploma; and getting not a single disciplinary ticket.
The judge said it is easy for people to believe that the appropriate sanction for a crime is always incarceration.
But she said the prison time, the strict sex-offender probation conditions, and a standing criminal protective order that requires Quiles to stay away from the girl for 20 years will combine to accomplish the objectives of sentencing. Those objectives include punishment, deterring Quiles and others from future crimes, protecting society, and rehabilitation.
Quiles' prison time will be followed by 10 years' probation, with the possibility of up to five more years in prison if he violates release conditions. Those conditions will include having only supervised contact with minors, registering as a sex offender, not using illegal drugs, and undergoing evaluation for problems ranging from substance abuse to anger and taking part in any necessary treatment.
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