342-Year Child Sex Abuse Sentence For Sonoma County Man

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A man convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting four children over a decade will spend the rest of his life in prison after a Sonoma County judge handed down a sentence totaling 342 years to life.

A jury found Juan Ferrel-Gonzalez, 42, of Santa Rosa guilty in December of 27 felony offenses involving child molestation, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney's office.

On Tuesday, Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Ken Gnoss sentenced Ferrel-Gonzalez to more than three centuries in prison.

Prosecutors said the abuse occurred between 2008 and 2018 and involved victims who were between 8 and 16 years old at the time.

The case first surfaced in 2018 when one of the victims reported the abuse to a school counselor. Detectives with the Santa Rosa Police Department later discovered evidence that Ferrel-Gonzalez had assaulted three additional children during the same period. All four victims testified during the trial.

Judge Gnoss ordered consecutive sentences for each conviction, determining that the crimes involved separate victims or separate incidents against the same victim.

Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said the 342-year sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes.

“We are thankful for the jury’s service in this case and believe that the lengthy sentence is appropriate considering this defendant’s deplorable actions against four separate victims,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

Despite the life sentence, Ferrel-Gonzalez will become eligible for parole consideration after serving 20 years because of California’s elder parole law.

Deputy District Attorney Ashley W. Hendon prosecuted the case with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Dave Linscomb. Santa Rosa Police Detective Justin McLean led the investigation.

RELATED: After Abusing Girl For Years In Family Home, A North Bay Man Sentenced