Category: Sex Crimes
The 77-year-old former pastor of the now-defunct Santuario de Oracion church has been arrested on suspicion of molesting three elementary school-age girls. According to a news report in The Daily Breeze, the retired pastor faced arraignment at the Torrance courthouse for multiple counts of molestation. Officials say that over a two-year period, the man allegedly molested the three girls at his north Torrance home and at his church located at Prairie Avenue and 180th Street. Individuals under the age of 18 cannot legally give consent to sexual activity with an adult. Therefore, all sex acts involving a minor are illegal… Read More
A 2005 investigation into allegations that a Los Angeles County teacher molested four students was dropped because of insufficient evidence. According to an NBC Los Angelesnews report, allegations made by four youths concerning the teacher are being sent to Los Angeles prosecutors and the case has been reopened. Officials have arrested the former Los Angeles fourth-grade teacher on charges of molesting 12 students. He pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of child sexual abuse concerning 12 victims. The new charges resulted from a 10-month police investigation that began on March 15, 2012 after a number of girls told their parents… Read More
A Torrance worship leader faces child molestation charges for an incident involving a four-year-old girl. According to a KABC news report, the 67-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to a number of sex-related crimes stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred outside his home back in 2008. Officials say the man served as a worship leader at a number of churches throughout the South Bay area and are reaching out to other churches to see if there have been any other alleged victims. There are severe consequences for inappropriately touching a minor in California. Under Penal Code 647.6, “Every person… Read More
In what has become a high-profile case locally, a 52-year-old North Hills woman has been arrested in connection with an 11-year-old Southern California child pornography and molestation case. CBS Los Angeles reports that the woman was arrested 10 hours after federal investigators asked for the public’s help to identify two suspects – the woman and another man, who still remains at large. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials received five separate community tips that led to the woman’s arrest. The public plea was put out after federal agents discovered a series of pornographic images depicting the man and woman… Read More
The effects of a sex crime conviction can be felt long after an individual serves out his or her sentence. It can be difficult to reintegrate into society after serving time for any crime. This struggle is heightened for those convicted of sex crimes in California. Under Megan’s Law, a conviction for a sex-related crime can result in mandatory registration as a sex offender. This means that anyone with a computer can look up where a sex offender lives and the type of crime for which he or she was convicted. Many California sex offenders even have their pictures posted… Read More
A 19-year-old woman has been arrested at a Los Angeles hotel on suspicion of prostitution. According to The Burbank Leader, the arrest was made at the Extended Stay America hotel on Empire Avenue in Burbank. Officials allegedly made the arrest after seeing the woman’s advertisement online. They allegedly found her with a client in a room at the hotel. Under California Penal Code Section 653.20 (a), committing prostitution “means to engage in sexual conduct for money or other consideration, but does not include sexual conduct engaged in as a part of any stage performance, play, or other entertainment open to… Read More
A 51-year-old Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teacher pleaded guilty to charges of child molestation. According to a CBS Los Angeles news report, the teacher admitted to having a relationship with a 14-year-old between June and September of 2005. When questioned about the relationship on July 10, 2012, he led police on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed his pickup truck into a tree. He faced three counts of committing a lewd act on a child, two counts of oral copulation, one count of sexual penetration by a foreign object, and one count of evading an officer.… Read More
A 67-year-old Torrance doctor faces years of incarceration after three patients have accused him of inappropriate touching. According to The Daily Breeze, the podiatrist who works at the West Torrance Foot and Ankle Group on Lomita Boulevard, will continue to practice until his December 13, 2012 court date. Prosecutors have filed three counts of sexual battery by fraud against him. He faces fraud charges for allegedly touching patients on parts of their body that was not part of a legitimate medical exam. The doctor, who already faces accusations of molestation from his own daughter, allegedly touched patients inappropriately in three… Read More
Proposition 35 passed on November 6 with 81 percent of the vote, but a federal judge has temporarily blocked its implementation. According to an ESR Check news report, a U.S. District Judge in San Francisco has blocked the proposition because of a civil lawsuit that has been filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and two registered offenders. If the temporary block is lifted, approximately 73,000 registered sex offenders in California will have to provide their online screen names and Internet service providers to law enforcement officers. The civil lawsuit claims that Prop 35 violates… Read More
Law enforcement officers are searching for a man who they believe sexually assaulted a mentally disabled woman in the back of a Metro bus in broad daylight. According to a CBS2 news report, the alleged sexual assault occurred after the 18-year-old woman boarded the bus at Jefferson and La Cienega boulevards in Baldwin Hills. Officials believe the man followed the woman to the back of the bus and started sexually assaulting her. The only other passenger in the bus notified the driver who got on the intercom and pulled over. The suspect left the bus at Slauson Avenue and Sepulveda… Read More
