Peter Aibor Jeschke was arrested in December 2007 and found guilty of sexual penetration by a foreign object, three counts of oral copulation and two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, as well as a misdemeanor charge for possession of marijuana, by a jury in May of this year.
He was found not guilty of administering an intoxicating substance to a minor in order to commit a felony and furnishing marijuana to a minor. The jury was divided 7-5 on charges of furnishing cocaine and ecstasy to a minor.
“Given the defendant’s heinous actions towards a very vulnerable victim, he was deserving of a prison sentence,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Joyce Dudley said.
The prosecutor said she had pressed for a stiffer sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison for Jeschke, but the victim’s mother apparently asked that the defendant undergo rehabilitation.
Jeschke will return to court next month for final sentencing proceedings, during which Judge Frank Ochoa will decide whether the defendant must register as a sex offender. Following his one-year term in county jail, the defendant will be on probation with his state prison term suspended.
Dudley said if Jeschke violates his probation, he could be sentenced to the full prison term of seven years and eight months.
Jeschke also faces additional charges of witness intimidation after he allegedly asked several teenagers to call key witnesses and threaten them during his trial. He will appear in court next month as attorneys schedule a date for a preliminary hearing into those charges.
The defendant served as a volunteer for the boys tennis team at Santa Barbara High School in spring 2006 before being hired as an assistant coach for both tennis teams. The victim’s friends apparently learned of a sexual relationship between the 16-year-old student and the 34-year-old tennis coach, leading to his arrest.