Crime & Safety
219-Year Sentence Ordered For O.C. Molester Of 4 Young Relatives
The Huntington Beach man sexually assaulted the four girls, who were 6 to 13 years old. A fifth victim testified, officials said.
ORANGE COUNTY, CA – A Huntington Beach man was sentenced Friday to 219 years, four months to life in state prison for sexually assaulting four girls he is related to, ranging in age from 6 to 13 years old.
Martin Rodriguez Garcia, 51, was accused of sexually assaulting another girl he is related to, but charges could not be brought in that case because of the statute of limitations, Taghavi said.
She testified in the trial as a corroborating witness.
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The sexual assaults occurred from November 1994 through March 2011, according to Deputy District Attorney Bobby Taghavi.
Garcia was acquitted on two counts dating back to the early 1990s, and in two cases jurors convicted him of lesser charges of assault with the intent to commit rape instead of rape.
Find out what's happening in Laguna Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Garcia's attorney, Justin Glenn, argued that the girls went to police initially to allege physical abuse because he had a history of beating them, but they were told the statute of limitations ran out on those types of charges, so they later upped the ante with sexual assault allegations.
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