Ex-Goodyear employee, wife get prison time

9/25/2012

Ex-Goodyear employee, wife get prison time

A former Goodyear worker and his wife have been sent to prison following guilty verdicts in a child abuse case.

Raul Varela, 43, the city's former engineering director, was sentenced Thursday to 12 years behind bars.

His wife, Tricia, 42, was sentenced in Maricopa County Superior Court to a 17-year prison stretch, authorities said.

She was found guilty of more charges than her husband, thus resulting in a longer prison term.

Raul Varela lost his Goodyear job in June 2009 after he and his wife were accused in the alleged beating of their 4-year-old adopted daughter.

Following a 13-day jury trial, he was found guilty Aug. 14 of two counts of intentional or knowing child abuse.

Tricia Varela was found guilty of reckless child abuse and two counts of intentional or knowing child abuse.

A mistrial was declared after an earlier 14-day trial that ended March 29 when juries were unable to reach a verdict.

However, Tricia Varela was found guilty of one count of reckless child abuse, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on other charges.

The Varelas were arrested in June 2009 after Goodyear police responded to a call at West Valley Hospital in Goodyear, where the child was being treated for injuries, including body bruising, investigators said.

Raul Varela soon was placed on paid administrative leave from his $121,436-a-year city job, but later fired.

Brent Whiting can be reached by email at bwhiting@westvalleyview.com.