Rocky Point man pleads guilty to statutory rape

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – A Rocky Point man is going to prison for at least 14 years for Statutory Rape of a 14-year-old.

Hector Medina Urieta, 36, pleaded guilty in Pender County Court last week.

The crimes happened from 2014 to 2015.

The victim and Urieta knew each other. In 2015, when the victim and law enforcement investigators confronted Urieta, he admitted his crimes.

The district attorney’s office says Pender County Sheriff’s Office Det. Stephen Clinard was instrumental in obtaining Urieta’s guilty plea.

Judge Joshua Willey sentenced Urieta to between 14 and nearly 22 years in prison.