Casper Pastor Admits to Kicking Pregnant Woman
A Casper man accused of battering a woman over the course of more than a decade admitted to allegations that he kicked a pregnant woman.
Raul Adam Sanchez appeared in Natrona County District Court via video conference Tuesday morning and pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault. Several other related felony counties were dropped as part of a plea agreement.
Additionally, prosecutors will ask for no more than a five-year prison sentence for each charge. They could be served out back-to-back, however.
Sanchez initially faced decades behind bars.
When Sanchez was initially charged during the summer of 2019, he was a pastor at Casper Foursquare Church and also worked as the Business Development Director at NOWCAP.
Sanchez initially took a plea deal in February in which he pleaded guilty to a single count of strangulation of a household member.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Sanchez "routinely" punched and kicked the victim. The victim told Casper police that one of Sanchez's "favorite" things to do was grab her by the hair when they were in a vehicle and slam her head against a car window.
At the time of Sanchez's arrest, he was a pastor at Living Rock Foursquare Church in Casper. He often invoked God when he beat the victim, the affidavit says.
The affidavit describes an undated incident in which Sanchez allegedly made the victim strip naked in his office at NOWCAP. The victim said that she did so out of fear that Sanchez would beat her.
In addition to admitting to kicking the pregnant woman, Sanchez also admitted to pointing a pistol at her.
During Tuesday's hearing, Sanchez said he's been seeking and receiving counseling.