Richfield Campus Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing 14-Year-Old Student

Oct 3

A former Richfield middle school campus supervisor has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 14-year-old student.

Court records show that 23-year-old Joshua James Moton admitted Monday to first-degree criminal sexual conduct and second-degree criminal sexual conduct for repeated assaults on the girl between April and May of this year.

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He entered what is called a straight plea, meaning the judge will decide his punishment after a presentence investigation. His attorneys plan to ask for a dispositional departure, which would place Moton on probation instead of prison. Under state guidelines, he faces a presumptive 144-month prison term.

THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE. DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Richfield Police were called to the school on Tuesday, May 13, after a student alerted an administrator to concerning messages and behavior involving Moton and the victim. The reporting student told officers they had seen emails on the victim’s school laptop in which Moton said he planned to take the victim to the school’s pool area, where there are no surveillance cameras.

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Police spoke directly with the victim, who said Moton first kissed her about a month earlier when he escorted her from class to the basement. She said she froze at that point but described how the assaults escalated over the following weeks. She told officers that he repeatedly took her out of class and brought her to areas near the gym and weight room, where she said he forced her to perform sexual acts on him. On at least one occasion, Moton performed a sexual act on the victim. She said the most recent incident happened the day before his arrest.

PREVIOUSLY: Richfield School Staffer Faces Felonies for Alleged Sex Acts With Student

Moton was taken into custody the same day and later admitted during a recorded interview that he had sexual contact with the victim, the documents say. He initially denied the behavior, then stated that bodily fluids might be found on the victim’s clothing. He ultimately acknowledged that the contact took place in the school’s weight room and happened at least twice, agreeing it was illegal due to her age and because of his authority as a staff member.

Moton was arrested May 13 and booked into jail. He posted $14,000 cash bail on June 10 and was released under conditions that barred him from contact with minors, prohibited alcohol use and required electronic home monitoring.

Moton is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15.

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