El Centro man found guilty of child molestation in Tulare County
A Tulare County jury in Visalia found a 51-year-old man from El Centro guilty of forcible child molestation on Dec. 16.
The Tulare County District Attorney’s office said Javier Romero Oquita, 51, was found guilty of two counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14 and one count of showing harmful material to seduce a minor. The material in this case was explicit adult pornography. Each count is a felony.
The crimes occurred on Aug. 4 in Tulare County against a single male victim, who was 13 years old at the time.
The trial started on Dec. 14. Sentencing is set for Jan. 19. Oquita faces 23 years in state prison. Oquita will also be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
Paul Schlesinger: 559-441-6659, @PaulSch_Photog
This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 10:04 PM with the headline "El Centro man found guilty of child molestation in Tulare County."