Willmar man pleads to sex charge for molesting girl

WILLMAR - Tomas Hernandez Valladarez, 64, of Willmar, pleaded guilty Thursday to a second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge for having sexual conduct with a young girl.
As part of a plea agreement in Kandiyohi County District Court, a first-degree count will be dismissed. He is expected to be sentenced to 108 months in prison on Aug. 28.
The charges were filed after the now 15-year-old girl reported the abuse to Willmar police on Feb. 6 and said that Valladarez had sexual contact with her three to four times per week for the past three years. She said the contact started with touching and escalated from there, including an incident as recent as a month ago.
The girl said that Valladarez told her not to tell anyone about the contact and that he would take her shopping if she kept quiet. She also said that he gave her pills.
The girl told the investigating officer that she was reporting it because she knew it would happen again and that she was having problems with substance abuse and self-harm.
On Feb. 10, Valladarez was interviewed by a police detective and initially claimed he never touched the girl. He then admitting to touching the girl, but denied having sexual contact with her.
He said the pills he gave her were a combination of acetaminophen and codeine. That combination is a Schedule III narcotic.