Ex-investigator for DA takes deal in bribery, sex case

Erica D. Johnson

Friday, April 2, 2004 | 10:17 a.m.

A former district attorney's office investigator accused of bribery and sexual assault has entered into plea deal with prosecutors in which he faces up to 10 years in prison, defense attorney William Terry said Thursday.

The deal will require Pete Baldonado to plead guilty to one count of misconduct by a public officer and enter a no-contest plea to one count of coercion, both felonies.

The coercion charge carries a punishment of one to six years in prison. The misconduct charge carries a prison sentence of one to four years.

Though Baldonado will be eligible for probation, Senior Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen said he plans to argue for prison time.

"We would hope he (Baldonado) would get prison time," he said. "That will be up to the judge. But we're certainly going to argue for it."

The charges do not require Baldonado to register as a sex offender.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors have agreed to dismiss a charge of receiving a bribe by a public officer or employee.

Prosecutors also "have agreed not to file any additional charges that may have arisen out of the investigation," Hafen said.

News of the plea deal came during what was supposed to be Baldonado's preliminary hearing before Henderson Justice of the Peace Rodney Burr.

Baldonado, who is out of custody after posting a $3,000 bond, conditionally waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

He is scheduled to enter his plea when he is arraigned April 22 before District Judge Donald Mosley.

"If he (Mosley) for any reason rejects the terms of the resolution, the matter will be sent back to Justice Court," Terry said.

Baldonado, a veteran investigative field officer for the office's major violator's unit, was arrested after an investigation by the FBI revealed that he had offered to quash an informant's bench warrants in exchange for sexual favors.

The sexual assault allegations came about a week later when another woman who was a witness on a murder case on which Baldonado was working said Baldonado had raped her in late November.

Hafen said the alleged rape victim, who was in court on Thursday, was satisfied with the plea deal.

"There were some strengths in this case and also some weaknesses," he said. "The victim agreed that this is a good negotiation. She wanted to get this behind her."

Among the weaknesses was the apparent lack of evidence relating to the sexual assault charge. Hafen said the woman came forward to authorities about three months after the alleged incident and a rape kit had not been performed.

The woman was a witness in an upcoming trial for murder suspect Kenneth Curtis. She told prosecutors the rape occurred when Baldonado came to her home "on the pretense that he needed to talk to her regarding the murder trial," Hafen said.

According to court documents, the misconduct charge resulted from a joint sting operation between the FBI and District Attorney David Roger.

The informant in that case wore a wire and allegedly recorded Baldonado offering to quash hers and a friend's bench warrants in exchange for sex.

Baldonado later confessed the crime to authorities and resigned from his position with the district attorney's office.