Edhat StaffSource: District Attorney of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced that [Tuesday] convicted child molester Cesar Lara Chavez, age 52, was sentenced to 62 years to life in State Prison after being found guilty and convicted by a jury of four felony crimes against two victims, his step-daughters.
The jury trial against Mr. Lara Chavez began in early February, 2018 in front of Judge Brian Hill, Department 2. The trial concluded on April 6, 2018. The jury reached unanimous guilty verdicts on all four felony counts; two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child; one count of forcible digital penetration and one count of forcible child molestation, violations of Penal Code sections 288.5, 289(a)(1) and 288(b)(1).
The oldest victim and her mother were present for the sentencing. The oldest victim gave a victim impact statement to the Court saying: “ … may today be the beginning of a new chapter in our lives, where we can put this behind us, and be the voices of others that are still in silence.”
The Honorable Brian Hill commended the victims for their courage in coming to court and testifying despite facing alienation from their own extended family.
“I am especially proud of the two victims for their courage to come forward and tell the truth even knowing that most family members would not believe them”, stated Senior Deputy District Attorney Paula Waldman. Waldman continued, “I’m thankful to the jurors for being so generous with their time and for pursuing justice. This child molester will never hurt another child again.”
