A former youth basketball coach was formally sentenced to five years of felony probation for child molestation and released from jail Monday, but must register as a sex offender.
Ramoan Blackmon, 39, previously pleaded no contest in Santa Barbara County Superior Court to one count of lewd acts on a child age 14 or 15.
He initially faced four counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child, with allegations some occurred when the alleged victim was 13 or younger and others when she was 14 or older.
Judge James Voysey also sentenced Blackmon to 221 days in jail, with 111 actual days spent in custody since his arrest, plus credit for 110 additional days for good behavior. This allowed Blackmon to be released Monday.
The judge also ordered the defendant not to contact the victim, referred to as Jane Doe, and to remain away from children unless immediate family members are present.
The plea deal required Blackmon to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, Deputy District Attorney Brandon Jebens said.
“From my point of view, Penal Code 290 sex offender registration was absolutely critical in resolving this case,” Jebens said. “Given Mr. Blackmon’s prior unlawful sex with a minor conviction, I could not settle this case without sex-offender registration.”
Blackmon’s prior conviction occurred in 2005, according to court records.
The former youth basketball coach also served as executive director of Cal Hoops Elite Basketball Academy.
The plea deal came weeks after the preliminary hearing where Judge Gustavo Lavayen determined enough evidence existed for a trial.
During the preliminary hearing, the victim recanted her story, saying she made up the allegations. But the judge said he considered the girl’s testimony and demeanor in deciding her denials of the molestations incidents were not credible.
Defense attorney Addison Steele said Blackmon weighed whether to risk if a jury would believe the girl made up the allegations and find him not guilty.
“In the end, he decided the best thing to do was to accept this resolution and move forward with his life,” Steele said. “He was put in the position where he could go home today, try and get back to work and support his family, or take the risk of sitting in jail a lot longer.”
If convicted on all the charges Blackmon reportedly could have faced up to 14 years in prison, Steele said.
The defense attorney said it appears Blackmon essentially has to start his life over and find a new way to make money to support his family, noting it’s not realistic for him to return to running basketball camps.
“This entire situation has been devastating to Ramoan and his family,” Steele said. “It is a tragedy all the way around.”
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.