Former daycare worker found guilty of molesting children sentenced to 70 years in prison

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — UPDATE: A judge on Friday sentenced Anthony Guadalupe to 70 years in prison followed by lifetime sex offender probation.

ORIGINAL STORY: The former St. Johns County daycare worker found guilty of molesting children in his care is scheduled for sentencing within hours.

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Anthony Guadalupe faces up to life in prison. His defense has told Action News Jax that they’re disappointed with the outcome of the trial.

After a 2 day trial, 20-year-old Anthony Guadalupe walked away in handcuffs. He was facing 22 felony counts for inappropriately touching kids at Chappell Schools’ Longleaf Campus 2 years ago.

After about an hour of deliberation, the jurors found Guadalupe guilty of 12 counts of molesting children under the age of 12, 1 count of attempting to molest children and 3 counts of committing unnatural acts.

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While the prosecution said they were proud of the work the jury put in, his defense said they were disappointed with how things turned out.

“I’m disappointed. You know, Anthony’s family put their trust in me, and I feel like I didn’t come through for him. It was a tough case, but you know, I thought we had some good defenses,” Defense Attorney Terry Shoemaker said.

“I have to commend [the jury] for the work they did, you know, without any of the kids testifying. The video spoke for itself, and I think the jurors fulfilled their duty today,” said State Attorney R.J. Larizza.

Guadalupe’s sentencing starts at 9 a.m. this morning. You can count on Action News Jax to bring you the latest at noon.

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