James David Schultz Pleads Guilty, Faces 13-27 Years and Lifetime Registration

James David Schultz, 46, pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with a minor, molestation of a child and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor in a Yuma-area case prosecutors say involves abuse of a child under the age of five spanning more than a decade. Under the plea deal, Schultz will be required to register as a sex offender for life and will not be eligible for probation.

Prosecutors say Schultz faces a presumptive sentence of 20 years in prison, with a minimum exposure of 13 years and a maximum of 27 years. Sentencing is scheduled for March 9 in Yuma County; the plea was accepted in mid-February. The formal plea resolves the criminal charging instrument without probation as an option under the agreement.

Prosecutors have described the victim as a child younger than five and have said the alleged abuse continued for more than ten years. Court filings available at sentencing should specify the exact number of counts and any stipulated factual admissions; that level of detail was not released publicly when the plea was announced and it is not yet clear whether restitution or other conditions were included in the agreement.

The Schultz plea comes amid several separate local and federal prosecutions involving alleged sexual offenses. In related local matters, Justin Herrera, 26, is charged with two counts of unlawful sexual conduct by a corrections officer; Kenneth Smith, 34, faces one count of sexual assault and three counts of unlawful sexual conduct by a corrections officer; and Jose Espinoza, 26, was initially charged with six counts of unlawful sexual contact and later faced added sexual assault and kidnapping charges. Yuma County prosecutor James Eustace alleged Espinoza lured an alleged victim by lying about a visitor being at the jail, led her into a room without camera surveillance and forced her to have sex. Sheriff’s officials have said the encounters attributed to Herrera and Smith “were consensual.”

A separate federal case in Yuma involved a defendant identified as Turk, who admitted producing and possessing images of two toddler-age girls in his care; Homeland Security Investigations Phoenix reported devices seized after a file-sharing detection led to a search warrant. HSI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown said, “HSI Yuma will work tirelessly to investigate and bring to justice sexual predators like Mr. Turk who exploit our most vulnerable population,” and added, “This sick and deviant behavior will not be tolerated by society. Thankfully the victims we rescued are out of harm’s way with the defendant serving a lengthy sentence.” HSI noted Operation Predator has led to more than 16,000 arrests since 2003.

Another local case involves Ivan Martinez, 25, a former San Luis High School teacher booked into the Yuma County Detention Center on charges including aggravated luring of a minor for sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual conduct with a minor; bond was set at $250,000 and Yuma Union High School District terminated Martinez at a Jan. 10 school board meeting after he had not been in the classroom since mid-December.

Schultz’s March 9 sentencing should clarify counts, any restitution and the judge presiding. For case records or media inquiries, contact the Yuma County court clerk or the Yuma County Prosecutor’s Office; reporting on the plea was handled by Skylar Heisey and Dillon Fuhrman. For tips or additional information related to this matter, Dillon Fuhrman can be reached at dillon.fuhrman@kecytv.com.