EL CAJON (CNS) - A former teacher at an El Cajon Christian school who sexually abused a preteen girl for years was sentenced today to 20 years to life in state prison.
Kevin Conover, 50, was arrested last December following an investigation that began months prior into allegations of sexual abuse. Conover was a teacher at Christian High School. The criminal complaint filed against him alleged the abuse occurred between 2015 and 2019, with the first instance of abuse occurring when the victim was 7 years old.
The victim was not a student of Conover's, according to a statement released last year by Christian Unified Schools of San Diego's superintendent.
Conover, who originally faced up to 111 years to life in state prison if convicted of all counts and allegations, pleaded guilty earlier this year to five felony sex crime counts. His guilty plea included an agreement to the 20-year-to-life prison term, as well as a requirement to register as a sex offender.
The victim, now 17, said at Conover's sentencing hearing on Friday afternoon that she lived with the ``horrifying secret'' of what happened for years.
``This was a vile crime that was committed against me,'' she said in court. ``He made me a victim and I carry that with me everywhere I go.''
The victim's mother also delivered a statement, in which she said Conover ``committed an unforgivable act'' and ``took some of the most vulnerable years of her life and turned them into traumatic memories.''
Conover addressed the court, apologizing to the victim, her family, his family and ``all the people that have put their faith in me and I let down.''
Prior to imposing the stipulated sentence, Superior Court Judge CJ Mody told Conover, ``The level of trust that you have breached in this case ...cannot be overstated.''
Though the judge said he did not relish sentencing defendants to lengthy prison terms, he told Conover, ``You deserve every minute, every hour, every day and every year you will be spending in custody as a result of your actions.''
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