Ex-Bellingham preschool teacher charged with 9 child sex offenses -- here's how he pleaded

March 23-- Mar. 23--A former Bellingham preschool teacher pleaded guilty last week to nearly two decades of sexual abuse of a now 24-year-old man.

Ronald Lynn Guier, 41, pleaded guilty March 11 to one count of second-degree child molestation and one count of first-degree incest. Guier also entered an Alford plea, where he admitted a jury would likely find him guilty but still maintains his innocence, for one count of third-degree child rape, according to Whatcom County Superior Court records. The plea is still a conviction.

Guier was originally charged with two counts of first-degree child rape (domestic violence), two counts of first-degree child molestation (domestic violence), two counts of indecent liberties (domestic violence), two counts of first-degree incest, one count of second-degree rape (domestic violence) and one count of tampering with a witness, court records state.

On April 6, 2018, Guier wrote his wife a note confessing that he took advantage of the boy's mental health vulnerabilities and had been sexually abusing the boy since he was 7, records state.

Guier's sentencing has tentatively been set for April 22. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors are recommending an exceptional sentence above the standard range for Guier's crimes, and asking for 20 years in prison, with three years probation. Guier also will have to register as a sex offender, court records show.

Guier was a paraeducator and preschool teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School and previously worked at Blossom Childcare and Learning Center in Bellingham. He was hired in 2014 and had been teaching in Roosevelt's special education preschool program since January 2018, according to a previous story in The Bellingham Herald.

Guier was placed on administrative leave and resigned April 23, according to Bellingham Public Schools spokesperson Dana Smith. The police investigation didn't involve Bellingham Public School students, according to the previous story.

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