Man Who Grabbed Girl Walking From School Given 1 Year In Jail

CHULA VISTA, CA – A man who grabbed a 13-year-old girl by the arm and tried to pull her into his van as she walked home from school in Otay Mesa last spring was sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to register as a sex offender.

A judge on Wednesday also suspended a prison sentence of four years and six months for Jose Alfredo Plascencia.

As a condition of his four years on probation, Plascencia will be under house arrest for 90-180 days once he is released from jail, said Deputy District Attorney Meredith Pro.

Plascencia, 51, pleaded guilty last month to felony false imprisonment and three misdemeanor counts of sexual battery.

He was arrested the morning of May 31, after officers tracked him down in the 600 block of Dennery Road, San Diego police Capt. Alberto Leos said. Plascencia was originally charged with attempted kidnapping.

According to police, Plascencia pulled up alongside the victim on May 29 as she walked home from Montgomery Middle School, grabbed her by the arm and made a failed attempt to pull her into his van. The assault occurred about 5:15 p.m. in the 700 block of Picador Boulevard, police said. The victim was able to break away from the defendant and run to safety.

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