LOCAL : Judge Rejects Abuse Case Plea
A judge refused today to accept a plea bargain under which he was to have sentenced a former teacher to 12 years in state prison for molesting four of his fifth-grade students.
Superior Court Judge Michael Hoff indicated he felt that the defendant, Donald Ray Moore, 56, should receive a stiffer sentence. Hoff then ordered the case sent back to Municipal Court for further proceedings on Friday.
At that time Moore, formerly of Manhattan Beach, will either withdraw his guilty pleas or his case will be directed to another Superior Court judge for imposition of the 12-year sentence, Deputy Dist. Atty. Ryan Rainey said.
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