MARTINEZ (CBS SF) – A former basketball coach who faced 32 felony charges related to child molestation took a plea deal and will serve 15 years in prison, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office.
Paul Fielder, a 61-year-old resident of Suisun City, plead guilty Wednesday morning to sexual abuse of a child less than 14 years old. In exchange for his plea, Fielder avoided a potential life sentence.
Paul Fielder (Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office)
Walnut Creek Police and Homeland Security agents arrested Fielder last year on suspicion of soliciting a child for sex after he attempted to rendezvous with an undercover officer posing as a minor.
Investigators later determined that he’d been abusing a child on an ongoing basis for several years.
After his arrest, he remained in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility on $3.2 million bail.
Fielder worked as a youth sports coach in Solano County and at least one high school employed him on campus.
His plea deal also includes a lifetime registration as a sex offender.
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