EVANSTON — A former Wyoming State Hospital (WSH) mental health technician was sentenced by Third District Court Judge James Kaste on Friday, May 30, for sexually assaulting a female patient under his care.

Xander Garcia, 27, pleaded no contest to three counts of first-degree sexual assault. Each count carries a penalty of five to 50 years in prison. Garcia was initially charged with six felony counts at the time of his arrest, but a plea deal offered by the state outlined five to eight years behind bars, while dropping half the charges.

“The severity of this crime is overwhelming,” Kaste said, asserting that the suggested sentence was grossly inadequate due to the disturbing nature of the case.

“I’m befuddled by this plea. I can’t find room for leniency when it comes to this kind of behavior,” he said before ultimately sentencing Garcia to 8-12 years for each of the three remaining charges to run consecutively — meaning he’ll likely spend 24-36 years in prison.

The case began last August, when law enforcement responded to the hospital regarding a complaint about Garcia engaging in sexual relations with a patient. At the time of his arrest, Garcia was a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in training and his duties included performing frequent “one-on-one” checks to prevent patients from committing self-harm.

Garcia subsequently admitted to officers that he had engaged in vaginal, oral and digital penetration with the patient numerous times beginning in May 2024. Although he was temporarily removed from the victim’s unit for two months, Garcia resumed sexual activity with her when he was reassigned in July.

He made concerted efforts to hide the abuse, such as obscuring hallway interactions with the victim using a medical folder, monitoring the movements and whereabouts of other staff members and ensuring he was seen on surveillance cameras at opportune times.  He also told the victim to keep the impropriety a secret.

According to an affidavit in support of his arrest, Garcia told officers that “he did not know what mental illness [the patient] had been diagnosed with, but stated she was (DD) Developmentally Disabled.  The defendant explained that he knew it was against the rules to have sex with (WSH) clients/patients.”

During the victim’s interview with police following Garcia’s arrest, she said that “he started giving her snacks that she was not supposed to have and then tried forcing her into a relationship.” 

“I’m sorry for the victim’s family and for the victim,” Garcia said during the proceeding. “I see now what I did was wrong. I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done to the hospital and the state.”

The victim’s mother spoke to the court about what her daughter has endured due to Garcia’s abuse.

“As a mother, I was supposed to protect my child,” the woman tearfully said, explaining that she’d institutionalized her daughter for her own and public safety after her daughter experienced a variety of mental health and behavioral issues. She rhetorically questioned “how this pond scum got through the system,” and said repeatedly that Garcia had “violated a trust” that she had put in the WSH staff.

The adult victim, according to her mother, was adopted into their family after being born to a drug-addicted mother.  The victim reportedly has a low IQ, no processing skills, suffers from seizures and has harmed herself. In addition to having an intellectual age of approximately 6 years old, “she’s spontaneous and doesn’t think of the ramifications of her actions,” her mother said.

“Does that make him feel like a man?” the woman asked. “I don’t see how he can rest at night knowing what he did to my daughter.”

She also said her daughter was traumatized and now suffers post-traumatic stress disorder due to the repeated assaults.

“She’s a child in her mind, behavior and decision-making,” Kaste said. “A person in a position of authority took advantage ... this was a violation of trust [and of] a vulnerable person’s body and rights.”

Kaste further described Garcia’s crimes as “abhorrent,” “deplorable,” and “beyond the pale.”

Garcia was given credit for 251 days served and was also fined a variety of fees and court costs. He has 30 days to appeal his sentence.