A former EMT with San Diego Rural Metro, who admitted to having sex with a minor, learned his sentence Tuesday.
Zachary Stinchcomb, 24, received four years of probation and was given credit for his time spent in jail, meaning he will spend no more time in custody. However, he must register as a sex offender for the duration of his probation. Stinchcomb pleaded guilty to statutory rape in April.
Last November, he posed as a teenager on the dating website “MeetMe.com” and connected with a 15-year-old girl, with whom he had sex, according to his plea deal. Investigators say the girl was told Stinchcomb was 17 years old at the time. She has not been identified because of her age.
“It is a crime to have sex, an adult with a minor, and in this case, the victim, even though it was alleged it was consensual, the victim was 15 and he was over 21 years old,” said prosecutor Lisa Fox.
According to Fox, another girl also came forward to accuse Stinchcomb of having sex with her when she was underage. Contrary to what the judge ruled, Fox argued Stinchcomb should have to register as a sex offender for life.
“This is an individual who clearly has a preference toward young women and that is his own sexual gratification and he has clearly done it on two prior occasions, and for that reason we believe that it would be in the best interest to have him register as a sex offender for the lifetime,” said Fox.
Fox also asked the court for a protective order that would protect the victim and her family for the duration of Stinchcomb’s probation.
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Without the plea deal, Stinchcomb could have faced up to four years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Stinchcomb no longer works for Rural Metro.
