SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – A New York man who sexually abused a minor for at least two years was sentenced today to 55 years to life in Victorville Superior Court.
A jury found 25-year-old Jonathan Mendez of Unica, New York, guilty last month of three counts of Oral Copulation or Sexual Penetration with a Child 10 Years Old or Younger and two counts of Lewd Act Upon a Child.
Click here to download a copy of the complaint.
The charges stemmed from an investigation conducted by the Victor Valley Sheriff Station in which the victim describes instances of sexual abuse over a two-year period by her mother’s boyfriend.
The offenses occurred between Aug. 2012 and Nov. 2014 when the victim would have been between 5 and 7 years old.
The victim was present at the sentencing for the Defendant, and her victim impact statement was read to the court by DDA Pedroza:
“…I am so happy that Jonathan will not be able to hurt any other little girls and boys like me and brother ever again… no other little girls and boys will ever have to go through what me and brother have had to go through.”
The victim was accompanied by Dozer, a Facility Dog recently assigned to the Desert-Mountain Division to provide support for child victims in court.
According to Pedroza, the victim’s disclosures to the interviewer at the Children’s Assessment Center were so detailed and credible, we knew that the abuse had in fact happened.
“Thanks to the courage of this brave young girl, the defendant will be locked away for a long time and hopefully never have the chance to harm another child,” said Pedroza.
