Over the Labor Day weekend, Riverside police began searching for a man after a six-year-old girl claimed she was sexually assaulted by the man, whom she let into the home. According to one news report at ABC 7, police were called to a home near an elementary school in the block of Picker Street at approximately a.
The girl told her mother that once she let the man inside the house, he touched her. The girl was told by the man to change her clothes, at which point he began touching her over the clothing according to the girl. News reports say the man fled the home quickly when the girl began to panic. A news report at KTLA 5 stated the girl got away from the suspect and was trying to go notify her parents when the man left and fled in a pickup truck.
Police released a composite sketch of the suspect in an effort to get help from the public in capturing the man. Sexual assault of a child younger than 14 may include inappropriate touching, even over clothing. This is considered a lewd act, and can leave the alleged offender facing three, six, or eight years in prison. For many who are accused of sexual assault, the requirement to register as a sex offender for life is the most severe consequence.
Sex crimes are punished extremely harshly; unfortunately, many innocent people are in prison today in Los Angeles and across the country, serving time for crimes they did not commit. Children are sexually abused, there is no doubt about it. However, it is not uncommon for children to make up stories when coerced by adults who are out for revenge. Sex crimes are some of the most difficult to prosecute and defend, depending on the specifics of each case, physical evidence, and other factors.
Anyone accused of a sex crime whether child molestation, rape, prostitution, or possession of pornography must consult with a Los Angeles sex crime defense lawyer immediately.
