Articles Posted in Sex Crime

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Police have arrested a man for sexually assaulting a jogger in Malibu. CBS News reports that the 35-year-old Malibu jogger had just completed her run at Point Dume State Park when she was grabbed from behind. After a reportedly lengthy struggle, the jogger escaped by jumping off the cliff to escape. A 31-year-old San Bernardino man was arrested for the assault, after his DNA was matched with DNA found under the jogger’s fingernails. She suffered only cuts and bruises.

The severity of a California sexual assault charge can depend on many factors. Even as a first offense, a sex crime conviction can carry jail time of up to one year. If you have previous convictions your punishment may be much more severe. You may be forced to register wherever you live as a sex offender and carry the stigma of a dangerous criminal — even if you were wrongfully convicted.

There appears to be a growing amount of false accusations with sex crimes. DNA evidence is not always as reliable as many people assume and mistakes can be made. If you are falsely accused of a sex crime you should not talk to the police without having a sex crime attorney present. Anything you say can be misconstrued and used as evidence for the prosecution.
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A UCLA student has been charged with assault after allegedly attacking a fellow student on campus. The San Jose Mercury News reports that the 25-year-old has pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, assault and sexual battery. Allegedly, the man attacked a woman leaving a party, forced her to the ground, pulled up her dress and then fled the scene. He faces more than nine years in state prison if convicted.

Felony assault convictions carry heavy punishments and the state of California aggressively pursues sex crime offenders. However, a false allegation can quickly become a life-altering event when the defendant is not properly represented. Megan’s Law forces all sex offenders to register with their local law enforcement. In 1996, the Megan’s Law database became open to the public. A false accusation and conviction can force you to carry the disgrace of being labeled a sex offender for the rest of your life.
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A well-respected 33-year-old teacher from one of Burbank’s public schools recently confessed to having an sexual relations with a 14-year-old boy. The affair began in March 2009 and continued until last December. According to an article from the Burbank Leader, the woman walked into the local police station, allegedly full of guilt, and confessed to the crime with her attorney present. Police and school officials were unaware of the Los Angeles sexual crime beforehand. The former student, now 15, confirmed the woman’s story.

The Burbank teacher is currently being charged with five counts of engaging in sex acts with a person under 16 and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. The criminal arraignment was scheduled for March 25. She has made no effort to post her $175,000 bail. Psychologists have been provided by officials for students at the school.
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Huntington Beach police have arrested and charged a 40-year-old Anaheim man for two counts of attempted lewd acts with a child under 14. He allegedly attempted to contact a fictitious child over the Internet with the intent to commit a specific lewd act and went to meet the minor to engage in lewd conduct. According to the OC Register, the arrest was made possible by a sting operation put on by the Huntington Beach police department.

The police posted an ad on craigslist.com. They posed as a 13-year-old girl soliciting favors. The defendant responded and arranged to meet with the girl, who turned out to be a Huntington Beach police officer. In their correspondence, the defendant supposedly instructed the girl to have red underwear on when they were to meet.

The defendant had been convicted of a sex-related offense in 1989 in Arizona. After his recent sex crimes arrest, police found child pornography in his home; which will likely be used as additional evidence in his case. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison if he is found guilty of the sex offenses.
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Using state-of-the-art technology, Los Angeles police were able to identify and arrest a suspect in the attempted kidnapping and molestation of at least four young girls over the last two years. Based on an LA Times story, the suspect in these incidents managed to evade the LAPD since February of 2008. But because of new technology, a 41-year-old man was recently accused of the sex offense of luring a 10-year-old girl into an apartment complex and attempting to sexually assault her; an alleged incident that took place in November of last year.

The Los Angeles Police Department recently acquired a new police car equipped with a mechanism that will read and record the license place of every vehicle that passes by it. The LAPD examined footage from security cameras at the scene of the November assault, and generated a list of 1,700 vehicles matching the assailant’s car and within the vicinity of the sexual assault crime.

Using the new license-plate-reading police car, the LAPD identified a car matching the assailant’s car’s description within four miles of the incident. DMV records revealed that the owner of the car matched the physical description of the sex offense suspect, and upon further inspection, evidence was found linking him to the four attempted molestation crimes. He is currently incarcerated and awaiting trial.
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Los Angeles police recently arrested a 20-year-old homeless man in Venice Beach on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old Menlo Park girl who went missing in January.

According to police, Venice Beach is noted for having a number of young runaway girls. Based on a Mercury News story, this runaway had left home January 6th after a dispute with her parents. She then hopped a train to Los Angeles Union Station. The alleged, an admitted gang member, met the girl and offered her drugs and alcohol. He also threatened to hurt her or kill himself if she left him and proceeded to beat and sexually assault the girl.

On January 30, the girl turned herself in to Culver City police and was sent home to the Bay Area that night. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office indicated that the accused was involved in a 2009 sexual assault case, but prosecutors had not yet charged him of the sex crime in Los Angeles. He is currently being held in lieu of a $175,500 bail.
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A husband and wife were arrested and charged with running a prostitution ring out of two upscale apartment buildings in Pasadena and Irvine, according to a Los Angeles Times news report. The couple allegedly managed about two dozen women, who officials say, charged $200 per hour. In addition to the couple, four other men between the ages of 20 and 45 were also arrested on prostitution charges. The couple is facing charges of pimping and pandering. Officials said they initially suspected that human trafficking was involved, but later discovered that the women were attracted to the Los Angeles and Orange County business because of relatively higher pay.

According to California Penal Code Section 647 (b), committing prostitution means “any lewd act between persons for money or other consideration.” Pandering, defined under Section 266 i of the California Penal Code, is considered to be a crime committed by a pimp – recruiting prostitutes and soliciting customers for prostitution services. If you are convicted of prostitution or pandering, you are looking at significant jail time, probation, community service, AIDS testing, fines, and other penalties.
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A history teacher at a Cypress school has been charged with sex crimes against a 17-year-old student, according to a news report in The Orange County Register. The 42-year-old history teacher has been accused of one misdemeanor and six felonies that allegedly took place on six separate occasions. Police have apparently obtained about 11 pages of sexually explicit text messages the teacher sent to the girl in September and October. According to the report, the girl’s mother discovered the text messages and handed them over to police.

And in another recent high profile case, a former California Highway Patrol Lieutenant, was found guilty Tuesday in an Orange County court of attempted lewd acts on a child. Had had sent text messages to an undercover police officer who was posing as a 13 year old female.

Sex crimes, such as child molestation, are among the most forcefully prosecuted and severely punished offenses in our criminal justice system today in Orange County. Even if you are not guilty of the sex crime allegations, when you hold a profession, such as a teacher, police officer, or someone respected in society, you run the risk of ruining your reputation and losing your livelihood. Many sex offense defendants are drastically affected by sex crime charges, even if they are not convicted. This is especially true with regard to crimes involving children or minors. If convicted of a sex crime in Orange County, you may encounter extremely serious consequences including a lengthy prison sentence and registration as a sex offender for the rest of your life.
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A school bus driver in Orange County has been sentenced to 151 years to life in prison for molesting and taking sexually explicit photos of three young girls. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the 54-year-old man lured the girls, including one 7-year-old, into his car with the promise of a trip to Disneyland. He was convicted of 15 felony child molestation counts, sentencing enhancements for committing lewd acts on multiple children, substantial sexual contact with a child, and kidnapping to commit a sexual offense against a child, the report stated.

Sex crimes like child molestation, especially those against young children, are vigorously prosecuted in our criminal justice system in Orange County. If convicted, those accused of child sex abuse may face spending the rest of their lives in prison. In this case, the judge said he issued the maximum allowable sentence because, as a school bus driver, this man was a “predator” who took advantage of his position of trust to exploit and molest these young, vulnerable victims.
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A 50-year old high school teacher in Redondo Beach has been accused of engaging in lewd behavior in the presence of a student at the local high school. According to CBS news report, the teacher was arrested and booked for arranging a meeting with a minor “for purposes of engaging in lewd behavior.” Redondo Beach police officials said that the incident involved a 16-year-old girl. The teacher is accused of talking about sex and engaging in “a sexual act in her presence.” The teen reported the incident to school officials. The teacher, who has taught at the high school for eight years, is a married man with two children, according to the news article.

Sex crime charges can have devastating effects on a person’s life. As a teacher who is facing a serious sex crime charge, this individual is looking at prison time, hefty penalties and required registration as a sex offender. This could mean the end of his teaching career. He may not even be allowed to be around children or minors if convicted of this serious sex crime charge.
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