Police in Wildomar arrested an Orange County sheriff’s deputy on suspicion of committing California sex crimes against a child younger than 14 years of age, the North County Times reports in a story. Wilbert Dale Garcia, 49, was arrested during a traffic stop in Murrieta. Garcia was placed on administrative leave following his arrest.
Sex crime charges are extremely serious because of the consequences. If convicted of committing lewd or sexual acts on children, you could be sentenced to serve time in prison, your reputation will be tarnished, your career could be in jeopardy and you will very likely be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life. That is why, if you have been charged with committing a sexual crime against a child, you need a reputed and skilled Southern California criminal defense attorney, who has experience aggressively defending sex crime charges.
California Penal Code Section 288 (a) defines lewd act with a child under 14 as such: “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.”
Whether the defendant is a cop, as in this case, or a civilian, these penalties do not change. Please contact an aggressive criminal defense lawyer who will sort out the facts in your case and help establish your innocence. If you or a loved one has been accused of committing sex crimes or child sex abuse or lewd acts on a child under 14, please contact an experienced sex crime defense lawyer in Orange County at Sitkoff & Hanrahan. Call 888-579-4844 for a free consultation and case evaluation.