Joel Valadez

A Minot man facing a variety of charges including corruption of a minor, domestic violence, aggravated assault and duty upon striking an unattended vehicle in three separate cases has been sentenced to serve three years in prison.

Joel Alejandro Valadez, 25, Minot, appeared in North Central District Court on Tuesday for his sentencing, entering changes of plea in all the three cases.

In the first case charged in July 2022, Valadez pleaded guilty to one count of duty upon striking an unattended vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor, while another count for Class A misdemeanor criminal mischief was dismissed.

Judge Douglas Mattson sentenced Valadez in the first case to serve 9 months in the Ward County Jail, with credit for 9 months already served. Valadez was ordered to pay $125 in court fines and fees along with $8,876.50 in restitution to the victim.

Valadez pled guilty to a Class C felony count of aggravated assault-adult victim in the second case, which stemmed from an incident at the Ward County Detention Center in October 2023. According to the affidavit of probable cause, Valadez assaulted another inmate in his cell for walking in the background during a video call. The victim sustained a laceration to his forehead and possibly broke his hip, requiring further surgery and an x-ray to assess the extent of his injury.

Judge Todd Cresap sentenced Valadez to serve five years in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, to first serve three years with credit for 380 days already served. Valadez was assessed $525 in court fines and fees and was ordered to complete three years of supervised probation upon release.

Valadez pled guilty to two charges in the third case for one count of corruption of a minor-victim over 15-defendant 22 or older and a count of domestic violence-serious bodily injury, both Class C felonies. Eleven additional charges ranging from gross sexual imposition-sexual act-force, a Class AA felony, felonious restraint-child victim, a Class C felony, and multiple counts of domestic violence were all dismissed in April.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Valadez was arrested in March 2023 following a report of domestic violence by a juvenile female victim. Followup statements provided by the victim in which she reported further sexual and physical assault led to the filing of the additional charges.

The juvenile said in January 2023, Valadez kept her in the residence against her will for three days and assaulted her during this period, during which he also locked her phone in a safe to prevent her from communicating with her mother.

A jury trial had been scheduled in this case for Dec. 16 before Valadez entered his change of plea. Mattson sentenced Valadez to five years with the Department of Corrections for both charges, to first serve three years with credit for 608 days already served. The sentence is to be served concurrently with the sentence from the aggravated assault case.

Valadez was ordered to complete five years of supervised probation upon release and to have no contact with the victim or come within 200 feet of her or her residence and place of employment. Valadez will be required to register as a sex offender.

Valadez was also assessed $1,100 in court fines and fees.