Former Las Cruces teacher pleads guilty to child solicitation charges
Former Camino Real Middle School teacher Wyatt Cornelius pleaded guilty to two felonies in a case involving Snapchat messages with a 14-year-old student.
Wyatt Cornelius faces sentencing Nov. 5 after pleading guilty to two felonies; charges involving a second victim were dismissed under a plea agreement
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - A former Camino Real Middle School teacher and coach pleaded guilty Monday to two felony charges involving inappropriate electronic communication with a 14-year-old student, resolving criminal proceedings that included a second case involving another minor.
Wyatt Cornelius, 43, pleaded guilty to child solicitation by electronic communication device and contributing to the delinquency of a minor before District Judge Richard M. Jacquez, according to Third Judicial District Attorney Fernando Macias.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed a charge of criminal sexual contact of a minor and two additional charges stemming from a separate case involving a second victim.
Cornelius faces up to 18 months in prison on each conviction and will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Damien Willis
Plea agreement resolves charges involving two victims
Cornelius was arrested in April after Las Cruces police investigated allegations involving a student at Camino Real Middle School, where he worked as a teacher and coach.
According to investigators, Cornelius exchanged inappropriate Snapchat messages with the student, complimented the student's physical appearance, encouraged the student to sneak out and made sexually explicit comments.
The original investigation also included allegations of inappropriate physical contact with the student at school and during sporting events.
Prosecutors subsequently sought to keep Cornelius in custody pending trial, arguing he posed a danger to the community. The detention proceedings became the subject of a procedural dispute that reached the New Mexico Supreme Court.
In August, Cornelius faced additional felony charges involving a second minor.
Monday's plea agreement resolves the prosecution with guilty pleas to two felony offenses while dismissing the criminal sexual contact charge and both charges arising from the second case.
“The State carefully considered the circumstances of these cases, the charges supported by the evidence and the wishes of the victim in reaching this resolution,” Macias said. “This resolution secures guilty pleas to two felony offenses, and Cornelius will still face the possibility of prison time.”
Prosecutors cite victim's wishes in negotiated resolution
Chief Deputy District Attorney Spencer Willson, who prosecuted the case, said the agreement followed discussions with the victim and her family.
“This negotiated settlement came after meeting with the victim and her family, and we decided it was best for everyone that the offer include both jail time and sex offender registration,” Willson said.
Willson also thanked the victim for coming forward and expressed hope that others who experience similar abuse would report it.
Although the plea agreement includes two felony convictions, the sentence Cornelius will receive has not yet been determined.
Jacquez is scheduled to sentence Cornelius on Nov. 5.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
