Former Logan resident sentenced on sex charges

A former Logan resident was sentenced last week to 2 1/2 years in the Department of Corrections and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life after being convicted of charges related to his having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Joshua Lee Roubieu, 34, who now lives in Farmington, accepted a plea deal last month in Tucumcari district court on two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual penetration of a child and one count of criminal sexual communication with a child.

In exchange for the pleas, one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor by force or coercion and one count of enticement of a child were dismissed.

District Judge Albert Mitchell Jr. during a videoconference hearing Jan. 26 sentenced Roubieu to consecutive 18-month prison terms on each of the three counts but suspended two years of that time.

In addition to Roubieu being required to register as a sex offender wherever he lives, Mitchell ordered him to pay fees and costs associated with the case.

Roubieu must report to the Quay County Detention Center on Feb. 9 so he can be taken to a state prison.

Roubieu gave an apology before his sentencing.

“I really messed up, and I’m ready to get this over with and do better in life,” he said.

Assistant prosecutor Thomas Blakeney recommended Mitchell stick with the plea deal, saying Roubieu’s sex acts with the girl were “very inappropriate.”

Public defender Anna Aragon, noting Roubieu had no previous criminal background except for traffic violations and a fine for misdemeanor marijuana possession, urged probation. She said Roubieu always had been gainfully employed, including as a maintenance worker at the city of Tucumcari and village of Logan.

Aragon acknowledged her client “should have been more cautious” about entering into a relationship with a minor and that his arrest was “a very harsh lesson.” In addition to probation, she recommended life-choices counseling for him.

Mitchell told Roubieu while he had no previous serious criminal background, “you managed to go from zero to the max really fast.”

He said Roubieu’s sex acts are “life changing” for the victim and that he failed to meet basic adult responsibilities. Mitchell urged him to check the IDs of any future women he would have a sexual relationship with to ensure they aren’t underage.

Mitchell said Roubieu had been “doing really well” since his arrest but warned he would give him more prison time if he violated the conditions of his sentence.

The victim’s guardian said during the hearing she ran away from home the previous week and didn’t know her whereabouts. Blakeney said officials made contact with the girl about the sentencing hearing before she left home.

Though the victim wasn’t present to give a statement before sentencing, Roubieu, Aragon and Blakeney said they were willing to continue with it.

“I’m ready to move forward to get this over with,” Roubieu said.

Mitchell forbid the guardian from speaking on the victim’s behalf at the hearing after Aragon expressed reservations about it.

Roubieu, previously listed as residing in Logan, was arrested March 24 after a probe by New Mexico State Police investigator Andrew Martinez.

According to the initial criminal complaint, Logan police officers investigated a child-abuse report involving a 9-year-old boy who said he saw a possible sex act involving the girl. The boy told school staff the alleged abuse occurred during a party.

The boy said he looked through a bedroom window and saw Roubieu and the girl inside a pickup. The boy said everyone at the party knew the girl was 14 and had discussed that fact.

Martinez attended a forensic interview with the girl at the Oasis Children’s Advocacy Center in Clovis. She identified Roubieu as her boyfriend and acknowledged she had sex with him at least twice at her residence in Tucumcari.

Using search warrants, Logan police and an investigator for the district attorney’s office seized cellphones that belonged to the girl, Roubieu and three other adults at the party. Investigators found text messages between the girl and Roubieu from Jan. 17 to Jan. 21, 2020, that indicated sex acts with each other and intimate photographs. Another text message to Roubieu came from an adult who criticized him for having sex with the girl.

Roubieu admitted he sent obscene images to the girl through Facebook Messenger and had sex with her on Dec. 1, 2019, and on Jan. 3, 2020.

During an interview at the Logan Police Department, Roubieu confessed to a sexual relationship with the girl, including a sex act inside his truck during the party, records show.