WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A Palm Beach County judge said Wednesday she is leaning against accepting a proposed plea deal for Matthew Takahashi, a registered sex offender accused of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, after hearing emotional testimony from the victim and her mother about the impact of the case.
The proposed agreement would send Takahashi to prison for 15 years, with credit for 240 days already served in jail. It also would revoke his probation in an earlier child-pornography case and require that he be designated a sexual predator, according to details discussed in court.
But the judge repeatedly questioned why the deal did not include probation after his release, noting the allegations arose while Takahashi already was under supervision.
The victim, a minor at the time of the alleged crimes, told the court she once saw Takahashi as a father figure but said he groomed her over time and began a sexual relationship with her. She said she and her family remain in therapy, that she no longer feels she had a normal high school experience and that she struggles with trust.
She also said she fears for her younger sister’s future safety. The victim asked the judge to consider added restrictions, including probation and a no-contact order, when he leaves prison.
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Her mother urged the court to impose stronger safeguards, saying the family’s sense of safety was shattered when she learned what had happened. She said Takahashi had been her fiancé and the biological father of her younger child and had acted as a parent figure in the household.
The mother said the effect on the family has been severe and asked for no-contact provisions covering all of her children and for supervision after any prison term. She also told the court that Takahashi previously had been on electronic monitoring and said that did not prevent the conduct at issue in the current case.
The judge pressed prosecutors about the lack of probation in the negotiated deal and asked about the restrictions Takahashi would face if placed on supervision after prison. A Department of Corrections representative said probation would require electronic monitoring, restrictions on where he could live, regular reporting, a ban on contact with anyone younger than 18 and limits on jobs where children gather.
Still, the victim’s mother told the judge those measures would not be enough. The judge said she had reservations about the agreement and described the proposed sentence as being on the low end of the range discussed in court.
Defense counsel said Takahashi also could apologize, but the judge noted the lasting effect the case has had on the victim’s life.
The judge did not reject the plea on Wednesday but said she was leaning against accepting it as presented. She set another hearing for April 21.
