Man gets 40 years for impregnating 10-year-old

LAFAYETTE -- A 26-year-old Lafayette man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for impregnating a 10-year old girl.\nRafael Teoba Hernandez, a Mexican national, will be deported to Mexico after he is released from prison. His lawyer, Brian Dekker, said his client does not speak English and is barely literate in Spanish.\nHernandez tearfully apologized Friday in Tippecanoe Superior Court.\n"I love the baby, and I love her mother as well," Hernandez said through an interpreter. "I want them to forgive me for everything that I have done. I want God to forgive me. I believe I know what I was doing, sincerely. I'm here only to pay (for) what I've done."\nDeputy Prosecutor Laura Zeman said authorities learned of the case in September after the girl sought prenatal care.\n"She's in fifth grade," Zeman said. "She's supposed to be going out to play jump rope at recess and not worrying about making her prenatal appointments."\nThe girl, now 11, gave birth Feb. 11.\nDekker argued for leniency. He said his client was in Mexico when he learned the child molestation charges had been filed, but he still returned to Lafayette and turned himself in.\nHernandez also agreed to turn over about $4,000 from his 401(k) fund to help cover the girl's medical expenses.