Cheerleading coach pleads guilty to drug, sex charges
An Oxnard cheerleading coach pleaded guilty Monday to providing a 16-year-old student with the drug Ecstasy and engaging in oral sex with the girl.
Jonathon Rios, 27, pleaded guilty to two of the four felony counts he originally faced after his arrest in October. The Ventura County district attorney’s office agreed to drop charges of statutory rape and sodomy with a person younger than 18.
Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Maeve Fox said Rios faces more than nine years in prison, but that his early admission of guilt probably will mean that he gets less than the maximum sentence.
“We like it when people take responsibility early,” Fox said. “My argument is that he should go to prison. If that happens, I would consider it a victory.”
Rios and his wife operate Club Cheer Twisters, a cheerleader training facility in Oxnard.
Despite his guilty plea, Rios will not have to register as a sex offender, but would be obligated to notify prospective employers of his conviction, Fox said.
Rios, who remains in custody, is set to be sentenced Jan. 12. His attorney, Paul Takakjian of Los Angeles, could not be reached for comment.
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