LIHU‘E — Former Waimea High School JROTC instructor Victor Aguilar pleaded no contest to one charge of sexual assault in the second degree on Wednesday for taking advantage of his underage student.
In a deal reached with Kaua‘i prosecutors, four additional sexual assault charges were dropped, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
He will serve those years concurrently with a 14-year federal sentence levied against him by a federal judge in November 2022, in a related case where he pleaded guilty to two counts of exploitation of a minor through possession of child pornography.
Suffering from a cold, Aguilar, 66, coughed through the reading of his charges at Lihu‘e state courthouse on Wednesday.
“I’m remorseful for hurting the victim and my family,” said Aguilar upon receiving his sentence. “I violated my beliefs.”
A former U.S. Army major, Aguilar served as a Waimea High athletics coach and JROTC instructor from 1995 until his resignation in 2021. Aguilar founded the program and grew it to include more than 200 students at its peak.
In January 2021, Aguilar was placed on leave after a cadet reported he had inappropriately touched her, and that she had discovered pictures of JROTC students in bikinis and swimwear on his work computer. These pictures dated as far back as 2009 and included more than 60 students.
In a criminal investigation, sexually explicit videos featuring Aguilar and another underage cadet were unearthed, which formed the basis for the charges to which he pleaded guilty.
“This is a very difficult case for the victim and for the community, especially the community that Mr. Aguilar worked most closely with on the westside over many decades. It’s very, very unfortunate that we’re here,” said county Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Keola Siu. “But it’s all because of Mr. Aguilar’s actions, taking advantage of a very, very vulnerable member of the community.
“The victim is resilient, but it took a lot of courage for her and other victims to come forward, and for people in the community to believe their words about someone who had been built up in the community,” he said. “It’s very difficult for victims to be believed in those situations, but they were.”
Aguilar was also required to pay fees and restitution totaling more than $1,000 — in addition to the $15,000 levied against him in the federal case. He will also register as a sex offender, which will be on his record for the rest of his life.
“This certainly goes beyond an unfortunate incident,” said Judge Kathleen Watanabe upon sentencing.
“Your actions, for lack of a better term, were certainly despicable. I’m sure you understand this — you have caused permanent damage to the victim and to the community. That’s something that you’re going to have to come to terms with.”
After his plea and sentencing, Aguilar was returned to federal custody.
