By Dan Hust
MONTICELLO — August 20, 2010 — The former gym teacher at the now-closed Light and Life Christian School in Liberty pled guilty on Tuesday to sex crimes involving two 13-year-old students.
According to District Attorney Jim Farrell, 21-year-old Joshua DiMeo of Liberty entered a plea of guilty in Sullivan County Court to disseminating indecent material to minors, a class D felony, and sexual abuse in the second degree, a misdemeanor.
DiMeo was arrested in April during a sting conducted by the Village of Liberty Police and the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, when DiMeo went to one of the students’ homes after propositioning her for sex, according to law enforcement officials.
The girl had already provided police with a picture of DiMeo’s penis, sent to her by DiMeo through her cellphone, along with related text messages.
When DiMeo knocked at her door, police were waiting to arrest him.
In subsequent police interviews, DiMeo admitted to sexually touching another 13-year-old girl, both while serving as Light and Life’s physical education teacher.
DiMeo remains free on $10,000 cash/$15,000 bond bail while awaiting sentencing, set for November 9.
According to Farrell, DiMeo is expected to receive a sentence of three years in state prison and 10 years of post-release supervision, and he’ll have to register as a sex offender. Had he not agreed to the plea deal, DiMeo could have faced up to seven years in state prison.
Farrell praised the work of the Liberty Police, the Sheriff’s Office and his own staff, stating, “When this case was brought to light, the police officers acted swiftly and professionally in investigating the charges, and my office worked diligently to secure evidence through the use of a search warrant.”