NM - Cop quits job, marries pregnant 15-year-old he met during traffic stop

New Mexico State Police say a 29-year-old former deputy attempted to pay for an abortion to cover up his sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl he met while on duty...

...the teen changed her mind after missing the appointment. Prosecutor Scot Key said Pestak hoped the abortion would “get rid of potential evidence” of a criminal sexual relationship with a minor...

Since abortion did not cover his tracks, the 29-year-old former police officer turned to “Plan B”: marriage.

Two judges refused to authorize the marriage before state District Court Judge Kevin Sweazea issued the wedding license....

The age of consent in New Mexico is 16, or 18 if the adult is in a position of authority...

Sheriff Joe Baca said state law required the three judges to report the rape to authorities, but they did not do so. In New Mexico, a 15-year-old can only get married if she is pregnant.

“I would ask that all three judges step down, because what they did is something immoral,” Baca said.

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Noah Pestak turned himself in Friday morning after State Police obtained a warrant for his arrest on three counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of attempting to tamper with evidence...

The girl’s father, Chester Hamilton, previously told the Journal that, while he was initially enraged by the officer’s relationship with his daughter, he no longer wants him prosecuted.

“What he (Noah Pestak) did was wrong, but by them putting charges on him now, putting him in prison, would leave my daughter a teenage mom on welfare and that’s something I don’t want either,” Hamilton told the Journal in June...

After the girl returned the money for the abortion to Pestak, she and her father filed a report with State Police because they were concerned that Pestak would not provide financial support for the child and might retaliate against them.

Five days later, Noah Pestak and the girl, accompanied by Hamilton, obtained a marriage license from Sweazea after the judge held a hearing to determine that the girl was both pregnant and wanted to marry.

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29 year old Noah Pestak is set to go before a judge on statuatory rape charges. But tonight we've learned, the judge is ... his father...

Because the case is in his dad's jurisdiction ...it automatically went to his courtroom...

He will recuse himself and send the case to another judge.

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