Wilmington case moves ahead after man admits drugging child

Soto provided drugs to the victim on at least one occasion, and possibly more so the child would fall asleep.

A Wilmington man has admitted to giving illegal drugs to a child in an abuse case that also involves allegations against his former girlfriend.

Ramon Soto, 50, entered guilty pleas Monday in Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division, to cruelty to a child and violating conditions of release. The court imposed a suspended sentence of one to three years and five years of probation.

According to the plea agreement, Soto provided drugs to the victim on at least one occasion, and possibly more, so the child would fall asleep. He also acknowledged that he knowingly mistreated the victim in a way that put the child’s health at risk. Separate sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct charges against him were dismissed, but the record will remain public.

Soto also admitted to breaking court rules by drinking alcohol in August 2023 and January 2025.

The hearing came before a separate proceeding involving Margaret Peggy Sue Heffernan, 57, Soto’s former girlfriend, who is accused of sexually assaulting the same child in Wilmington between 2015 and 2017. She now lives in Brattleboro.

Windham County Deputy State’s Attorney Dana Nevins said prosecutors discussed the plea arrangement with both the victim and the child’s parent before reaching the deal. Nevins indicated the agreement was not the outcome they would have preferred, while noting that the state believed it addressed the case within the limits available.

The victim told the court in a statement that the abuse has left lasting trauma and that healing has been difficult despite years of effort. Judge Michael Kainen said he hoped the proceedings would bring some measure of closure.

Court records show the Wilmington Police Department opened the investigation in July 2023 after the child’s therapist reported the abuse. The affidavit also says Soto allegedly attacked Heffernan with a beer bottle in 2019 or 2020, and the relationship ended after that incident.

Heffernan faces charges of cruelty to a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child and repeated aggravated sexual assault of a child. During Monday’s hearing, the court heard video interviews in which the victim described being given crack cocaine to smoke and spoke about the abuse. Attorney Janssen Willhoit said Heffernan is refusing any plea offer and maintains her innocence.

Kainen said a conviction on the assault counts could leave Heffernan ineligible for parole until her 80s. He also outlined the next steps in the case, including a deposition and a pretrial conference that could be scheduled no earlier than August.