Man Sentenced to Prison for Sexually Assaulting a 13-Year-Old Trabuco Hills Student

A 28-year-old man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a Trabuco Hills High School girl and was immediately sentenced to 15 years in prison while a co-defendant was ordered to stand trial following a preliminary hearing.

Benjamin Avila of Anaheim pleaded guilty to eight counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, according to court records.

Co-defendant Jose Luis Gonzalez, 63, of Anaheim, is scheduled to be arraigned April 27 after a judge found there was enough evidence for him to stand trial.

A “concerned parent” told a school resource officer at the Mission Viejo high school in October 2013 about an alleged “inappropriate relationship” between a 13-year-old girl and a man, according to Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock

The girl subsequently told investigators she had an ongoing “sexual relationship” with a “boyfriend” named Alex Valesquez, who authorities later determined to be Avila, Hallock said.

The girl told investigators she also had sex with another man, who she knew as “Alex’s uncle,” who was later identified as Gonzalez, Hallock said.

The two men are not related to each other, but are friends, Hallock said.

The alleged sex acts occurred between March and September, according to Hallock.

Gonzalez is charged with 12 felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, with four counts dating back to April 1998.

City News Service

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