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 and can result in life-altering penalties. Under California Penal Code 288: “any person who willfully and lewdly commits any lewd or lascivious act … 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.”

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 that they were inappropriately touched.

There are many acts that are considered sexual assault, including rape, statutory rape, incest, sodomy, oral copulation, sexual penetration, and child molestation. California Penal Code Section 11165.1 states that “The intentional touching of the genitals or intimate parts (including the breasts, genital area, groin, inner thighs, and buttocks) or the clothing covering them, of a child, or of the perpetrator by a child, for purposes of sexual arousal or gratification, is sexual assault.”

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 who annoys or molests any child under 18 years of age shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.”

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 sexually molesting a girl who appears to be 13 years of age. The woman has been charged in a federal complaint with one count of production of child pornography. If convicted, she faces 15 years in prison. The woman’s son has spoken out, saying his mother was not involved in child pornography and that the girl in the video was 18 years of age or older at the time.

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 on the official registry so that everyone can see what they look like and find out about their past record.

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 the public.”

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. He pleaded guilty to two counts of committing a lewd act on a child and one count of evading an officer.

According to California Penal Code Section 288: “Any person who willfully and lewdly commits any lewd or lascivious act … 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.”

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 incidents dating back to 2009, 2008, and 2003. He faces up to six years of incarceration if convicted on all counts.

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 the First Amendment right to free speech.

The ACLU suggests that Proposition 35 will require sex offenders to turn in their email addresses, usernames, and every identifier they use to comment on websites online. The proposition also increases prison sentences and fines for individuals involved in sex trafficking.

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 Boulevard. The victim, who officials say has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old, reported the incident to the authorities. Investigators have released security camera footage of the man in the hopes of determining his identity.