A former Junior ROTC instructor at a Kaua‘i high school should remain locked up pending trial because he allegedly sexually abused a student and made video recordings of his abuse, U.S. prosecutors said.
Victor Aguilar, 65, made a court appearance Monday by phone from the Honolulu Federal Detention Center after he was charged with two counts of producing sexually explicit child pornography videos of a minor victim.
Prosecutors allege Aguilar sexually exploited the girl in his home, in his vehicle and at Waimea High School on Kaua‘i, where he was her Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps instructor. He also faces related sex assault charges in state court.
“The nature and circumstances of the offense reveal that while in a trusted position with ready access to minors, Aguilar abused his power and physically victimized at least one young woman,” prosecutors said in a motion asking for his detention. “The government is greatly concerned that Aguilar will reach out to contact the Minor Victim — and any other victims that the government is still in the process of identifying.”
Aguilar texted the alleged victim after he learned about the state investigation, prosecutors said.
Assistant Federal Defender Max Mizono said he reviewed the complaint with Aguilar, who understands the general nature of the two charges he faces. Aguilar did not enter a plea because that will come later in the judicial process.
A detention hearing for Aguilar is scheduled for Thursday.
Aguilar began as a JROTC instructor at the high school in 1995, a position from which he recently resigned, according to the Department of Justice.
The department also said, "An examination of Aguilar’s work-issued laptop and portable hard drive also revealed that Aguilar compiled subfolders of students and/or former students of Waimea High School’s JROTC, which appear to date from in or about 2009 until recently, consisting mainly of images that appear to have been pulled from social media websites."
