Five new charges involving three new victims have been filed against a 19-year-old Valencia man who has been arrested in connection with a series of sex offenses in the Santa Clarita Valley. According to a news report in The Signal, the teen now faces 34 charges involving 17 victims. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to life in prison. The man was arrested last month after several local girls came forward and said that he had performed sexual acts with them. Prosecutors allege that the man lured the girls through social media. His arraignment has been continued to Feb. 6. The teenager faces several charges of lewd acts on a child including unlawful sexual intercourse, oral copulation of a person under 18, and sexual penetration by a foreign object.
According to California Penal Code Section 288 (a): “Any person who willfully and lewdly commits any lewd or lascivious act, including any of the acts constituting other crimes provided for in Part 1, upon or with the body, or any part or member thereof, of a child who is under the age of 14 years, with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, or sexual desires of that person or the child, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for three, six, or eight years.”
These charges are extremely serious because, as with this case, it could result in life-changing consequences for the defendant. Those who are convicted of sex crimes may not only have to serve a lengthy prison sentence, but must also pay hefty fines and face mandatory registration as a sex offender.
A number of sex crime charges involving children or juveniles could stem from misunderstanding or even spite. If you or a loved one is facing sex crime allegations, please contact the experienced Valencia sex crime defense attorneys at Sitkoff & Hanrahan. We have extensive experience fighting such serious allegations. We will aggressively defend the charges against you and work diligently to have them dismissed. Please contact us at (866) 430-8383 to discuss your case.