Joel Valadez

A Minot man facing a variety of charges including corruption of a minor, domestic violence, aggravated assault and battery for hitting an unattended vehicle in three separate cases has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Joel Alejandro Valadez, 25, Minot, appeared in North Central District Court Tuesday for his sentencing, entering plea changes in all three cases.

In the first case charged in July 2022, Valadez pleaded guilty to one count of felony hit and run of an unattended vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor, while another Class A felony count was dismissed.

Judge Douglas Mattson sentenced Valadez in the first case to serve 9 months in the Ward County Jail with credit for 9 months already served. Valadez was ordered to pay $125 in fines and court fees, along with $8,876.50 in victim restitution.

Valadez pleaded guilty to a Class C felony count of aggravated assault – adult victim in the second case, stemming from an incident at the Ward County Detention Center in October 2023. According to the affidavit, Valadez assaulted another inmate in his cell. to go in the background during a video call. The victim suffered a laceration to his forehead and possibly broke his hip, requiring further surgery and x-rays to assess the extent of the injury.

Judge Todd Cresap sentenced Valadez to serve five years in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, to serve three years first with credit for 380 days already served. Valadez was assessed $525 in fines and court fees and ordered to complete three years of supervised probation after his release.

Valadez pleaded guilty to two counts in the third case to one count of corruption of a minor victim over 15 – defendant 22 or older and one count of domestic violence – serious bodily injury, both felonies of class C. In April, 11 additional charges were dismissed, ranging from aggravated sexual imposition-sexual act-force, a Class AA felony, victim of criminal restraint-child, a Class C felony and multiple domestic violence charges .

According to the probable cause affidavit, Valadez was arrested in March 2023 following a report of domestic violence by a minor victim. Subsequent statements provided by the victim in which she reported other sexual and physical assaults led to the filing of additional charges.

The minor said in January 2023, Valadez held her at the residence against her will for three days and assaulted her during that time, during which he also locked her phone in a safe to prevent her from communicating with her mother .

A jury trial in the case was scheduled for Dec. 16 before Valadez entered his change of plea. Mattson sentenced Valadez to five years with the Department of Corrections on both charges, to be served three years first with credit for 608 days already served. The sentence is to be served concurrently with the sentence for aggravated assault.

Valadez was ordered to serve five years of supervised release and have no contact with the victim or come within 200 yards of her residence and place of employment. Valadez will be required to register as a sex offender.

Valadez was also assessed $1,100 in fines and court fees.