Clovis man takes plea agreement

CLOVIS — A Clovis man charged last year with child sex crimes was sentenced Friday to a six-year suspended sentence through a plea agreement.

Rubel Encinias, 45, pleaded no contest to one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor in the third degree and was sentenced to a term of six years in prison, suspended in favor of supervised probation. He appeared in person Friday morning with his attorney Dan Lindsey during the plea hearing in the court of Judge Drew Tatum.

Encinias was charged in February 2018 with nine counts of second-degree criminal sexual contact of a minor during a five-year period starting in 2012. Per the agreement Friday, the remaining eight counts were dismissed.

Victims and family of victims spoke during the plea hearing Friday, asking Tatum to keep with Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Stover's recommendation for a parole period of no less than five years. Encinias will also join the lifetime sex offender registration and pay court fines, and his parole will be re-evaluated every five years for a period not to exceed 20 years, according to court records.

Stover said the family was satisfied with the agreement, which avoided the additional turmoil of victim testimony in a trial.