By Veronica Miller
WOODLAND, CA – Judge David Rosenberg ruled a sex crimes case should go to trial after the preliminary hearing of the accused this week in Yolo County Superior Court.
The accused is currently being charged with 16 different felony charges and a misdemeanor charge. Charges include felony oral copulation with a person under 18 years old, felony sexual penetration with someone under 18, felony sexual contact with a minor, felony preventing a victim from reporting, felony possession of a controlled substance for sale, furnishing a minor with marijuana, and possession of ammunition.
According to the prosecution, the accused had offered the victim marijuana in exchange for sexual acts as a form of payment. At the time the accused said he did not know that the victim was 16—though after it being revealed through a conversation on Instagram, the accused still continued to engage in sexual acts with the minor.
These sexual acts allegedly would often take place in the accused’s makeshift bedroom in his parent’s garage.
The accused had also sent the victim lewd photos of himself. The victim had taken screenshots of the pictures and the conversations that happened at the time of the pictures, due to the accused asking for her to delete evidence that she had gotten them.
Using these pictures Deputy District Attorney Gary Richter was able to confirm that it was the accused in the pictures, using previous jail booking photos of the accused.
When the victim told the accused that she was going to come forward and tell the police about what had been happening, the accused threatened that he would kill himself because he would have nothing left.
Deputy Public Defender James Bradford questioned the time in which the accused would have found out that the victim was 16.
DDA Richter was not able to give a clear time in which the accused would have found out, but he stated the victim had reported that there were continued sexual acts.
The accused is set to appear back in court on July 21 for an arraignment prior to the setting of a trial.
