EPHRATA — Moses Lake resident Isabel Rocha Jr., 58, was sentenced in Grant County Superior Court Wednesday to a minimum of ten years in prison for rape of a child in the first degree and child molestation in the first degree.

Court documents indicate that in early 2018, Rocha inappropriately touched the 7-year-old daughter of a neighbor, who was just one of a number of neighborhood kids that frequently played in Rocha’s backyard and home. The victim’s mother reported to an investigator that kids from the neighborhood referred to Rocha as “grandpa.”

Though Rocha was accused of similar molestation of another neighborhood girl who was 9, he only pleaded guilty to charges relating to the 7-year-old, according to court documents. Rocha’s sentence was the result of a plea agreement that only focused on the admitted and convicted offense, though he was issued a 99-year no-contact order for both girls.

In an interview conducted with the aid of a polygraph, Rocha admitted to several other sexual relationships with minors throughout his adult life.

Judge John Antosz presided over Rocha’s sentencing. Rocha’s defending attorney was David Bustamante; the prosecuting attorney was Carlee Bittle.

Rocha’s defense requested the court issue a Sexual Offender Sentencing Alternative, which could have converted some of Rocha’s term in prison into community confinement. Antosz rejected the request as too lenient and said that though Rocha had been found to be amenable to treatment, he had appeared to minimize the seriousness of his crimes to investigators.

After Rocha has served ten years in prison, he will be up for consideration for release. If not found to be eligible for release, Rocha may spend the rest of his life behind bars.