By Zoey Hou & Maia Surendra
SACRAMENTO, CA – Defendant David Gallegos is alleged to have sexually assaulted multiple women and minor children, revealed in a factually complex pretrial hearing here last week in Sacramento County Superior Court.
His case was to proceed to trial after the hearing.
Though his name was not obtained through the livestream hearing, a detective who had investigated all matters regarding criminal accusations against Gallagos testified as a witness for Deputy District Attorney D. Jensen.
On Aug. 12, 2020 the detective interviewed the first victim, addressed as Victim E. She explained that she was involved in multiple instances where the defendant was inappropriate and manipulative of her and her family. 
In one instance, she was at Gallegos’ residence when he called her into his room. While the two were seated, Gallegos asked Victim E. to touch the scars on his legs that were on the inside of his thighs and near his groin.
She expressed that she was uncomfortable in doing so, but was told “it’s OK, this is what I deal with and live with on a daily basis,” thus attempting to coax Victim E. into physical contact. She also admitted to the detective that this was just one of the many sexual encounters the defendant had had with her.
Following, DDA Jensen asked if the detective had heard from any other women who had similar experiences with defendant Gallegos, to which he testified for two more victims, Victim A. and Victim J.
On Sept. 23, 2020 Victim A. spoke with the detective of multiple instances where the defendant would intentionally rub his genitals on her.
Victim A. told about an instance that occurred at church when the defendant was moving behind her that she initially believed to be an accident and so dismissed it as a transgression.
The detective heard from her that “he moved behind her and intentionally rubbed his genitals on her as he was going by.”
After the DDA inquired about the third victim, Victim J., who revealed a similar situation where defendant Gallegos uncomfortably leered at her breast, he began asking about the seizure and search that occurred under his supervision.
The detective testified to having found many electronic devices, disks, and drives within the residence.
He claimed, “I found several URLs that included titles like ‘barely legal teen sex’ or ‘teenage young Hispanic sex.’” He affirmed that much of this evidence would suggest that the defendant was interested in young girls and women.
In his cross-examination, defense attorney J. Patrick McCarthy asked a flurry of questions regarding the factual events that occurred between defendant Gallegos and his family.
McCarthy stated that “not a single mention was made in all of your interviews of sexual assault in 2018 that lead to your warrant request in 2019.”
At the end of the preliminary hearing there was also questioning regarding an interaction between Gallegos and another victim. There was an inappropriate interaction that occurred at a holiday party, where Gallegos allegedly pressured the victim to sit on his lap.
The judge concluded that there was enough evidence presented to support the allegations, and the arraignment and trial setting will be July 20 in Dept. 61 of the Sacramento County Superior Court.
