Man sentenced for sex acts with child

A Colorado man received a suspended prison sentence and must register as a sex offender after being accused of sex acts with a child in Quay and Curry counties a decade ago.

Isaac F. Bibbs, 39, of Merino, Colorado, pleaded no contest in a Tucumcari court on Thursday to two counts of criminal sexual contact with a child, a third-degree felony, in a plea deal reached by prosecutors.

Two counts criminal sexual penetration of a child under 13 years old and one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor were dismissed under the plea agreement, court records show.

Clovis District Judge Benjamin Cross sentenced Bibbs to two consecutive terms of six years in prison, with both suspended in full.

Bibbs also must register as a sex offender, be placed under supervised probation and pay a $100 fine to the Quay County Domestic Violence Program.

Bibbs also was ordered to have no abusive contact with the victim.

Bibbs’ public defender, Levi Chavez, said the allegations were made years ago and that Bibbs had no criminal history except for credit-card fraud “many years go.”

Chavez also said Bibbs had no issues with substance abuse.

Bibbs declined to make a statement in court before his sentencing.

Deputy District Attorney Ozy Adams said it would be permissible for Bibbs to report to the adult probation office by phone from his Colorado home, which Cross accepted.

Cross said “this case is troubling, and I have accepted the plea, but there is a lot of pain. I hope for healing for all.”

According to an affidavit filed with Bibbs’ arrest warrant, New Mexico State Police in March 2022 investigated reports of alleged sex attacks in Logan and Clovis from a 14-year-old girl.

According to the criminal complaint, the acts occurred from 2015 to 2019.

The girl told officers Bibbs had touched her inappropriately “when she was little,” including when she attended elementary school in Texico.

She said Bibbs told her not to tell anyone about the sex acts and bribed her with candy.

The girl said the acts occurred as frequently as twice a week.