By Michele Chadwick
MODESTO, CA – Another victim testified here in Stanislaus County Superior Court against “Frank Doe” during a jury trial Thursday. Wednesday another victim testified she was groped during the same church service.
NOTE: The Vanguard did not identify the accused because the charge is a misdemeanor.
The second victim also provided a statement to the police on March 27, 2016, after Easter Mass. She testified there were multiple instances of unwanted contact.
She said there were “three times that I remember. The one time that I saw him in the hallway when we first got to church. The second time when I was sitting at the bench. The third time was when we were standing [when] he was standing right behind me. He was super close…He was super close to my body to where it was making me uncomfortable.”
She testified that on one occasion a portion of his body touched the back of her body. When asked about what part of his body touched her, she testified that “It felt like it might have been his penis. I don’t know if his hands were in front of him. I can’t really tell you because obviously I didn’t turn to look. He was just very close to me. So I scoot up. I tell my daughter to scoot up.”
While discussing how close the accused was to her, the victim gestured with her hands palm to palm to indicate how close he was.
When she met outside with other congregation members who were talking about the other victim’s experience, she testified that she said, “What are the odds it’s the same person?”
Wednesday, the first victim had testified she was standing at the back of the church because “there were no seats available (and) “I started feeling … someone touching in my butt area.”
Initially the first victim assumed that the church was too crowded and someone bumped her. After the first touch, she testified that she moved away but “it was crowded and I didn’t have much space in front of me. I took a little step and then I felt him again.”
After the first touch, the first victim testified that she “kinda just stood there. It happened once I moved forward. It happened again. I moved again. The third time it was actually like a whole grab. I just looked back, looked at him and then walked out because I was distraught at this moment.”
The defense will begin presenting their evidence on Monday.
