Man Gets 25 Years for Exposing Himself to San Clemente Colleague's Child

A 62-year-old man was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison for exposing himself to the 11-year-old daughter of a colleague in a case that took two decades to go before a jury because the defendant left the country before his arrest.

Luther Pete Haynes was convicted March 5 of child annoyance.

Prosecutors filed a felony count against him because he has two prior convictions for lewd acts on victims younger than 14, according to Deputy District Attorney Kristin Bracic.

Orange County Superior Court Judge W. Michael Hayes on March 5 denied several motions to dismiss the case based on a claim that the defendant’s rights to a speedy trial were violated, Bracic said.

Haynes exposed himself to the girl -- whose father worked with him at a San Clemente-based paleontology firm -- while taking photos of her in Fountain Valley on Jan. 14, 1995, Bracic said.

Haynes, who married a Filipino woman when she was 18, had homes in the Philippines and the U.S. and traveled back and forth between the two, Bracic said.

“He knew police were looking for him and went to the Philippines (in 1995) and didn’t come back,” Bracic said.

Haynes contended he did not know authorities were looking for him.

How he ended up back in the U.S. to face charges last August is “a mystery,” Bracic said. “He says U.S. marshals showed up in the middle of the night and arrested him,” but there are no records of an extradition, she said.

OTHER PATCH HEADLINES

• Laguna Alumnus Gets 16 Years for Stabbing Death of High School Pal
• Driver Swims to Safety After Crashing into the San Gabriel River
• Ducks Tickets to go on Sale Saturday
• If You Use Starbucks, You Have A Problem
• 5 Injured, 3 Critically in Head-On Fountain Valley Crash
• Desperate Family Scrapes Together $5,000 Reward for Woman Who Disappeared After Clubbing in Newport
• Mission Viejo Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty in Woman’s Overdose Death
• Desperate Family Scrapes Together $5,000 Reward for Missing Laguna Hills Woman

City News Service

Get Patched in! Sign up for free news alerts for your town.

ALISO VIEJO | FOUNTAIN VALLEY | LAGUNA BEACH | LAGUNA NIGUEL-DANA POINT |LAKE FOREST | LOS ALAMITOS-SEAL BEACH | MISSION VIEJO| NEWPORT BEACH-CORONA DEL MAR | RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA | SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO | SAN CLEMENTE