Convicted child molester in Merced wants a new trial – and a bug scientist

A convicted child molester wants to represent himself in a new Merced Superior Court trial.

Lonnie Lee Poslof Jr., from Fresno, appeared in court Friday morning in Merced for what was supposed to be a sentencing hearing. Judge Mark V. Bacciarini rescheduled the hearing because Judge John D. Kirihara, who presided over Poslof’s trial, was not available Friday.

In a handwritten motion filed with the Merced Superior Court, Poslof said he wants to serve as his own attorney during a new trial. At that new trial, he also wants the services of an expert psychologist, a forensic handwriting expert, forensic experts and an investigator.

Poslof, in his written motion, also asked the court for the services of an expert entomologist, an insect scientist.

It remains unclear why Poslof wants an entomologist.

The judge set a hearing date for Jan. 12 for a motion filed by Poslof to represent himself. Poslof on Friday told Bacciarini he “fired” his defense attorney, Tom Pfeiff.

Poslof faces a maximum of 27 years to life in prison after a jury in December found him guilty of four felonies, three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and one count of oral copulation. All of the charges involve the same 4-year-old victim and took place in Merced between April and June 2013, according to Merced Police Department investigation reports. Posloff was on the run for nearly a year before U.S. marshals captured him in Fresno.

The prosecutor in the case, Deputy District Attorney Michael McKinney, said he believes Poslof got a fair trial and couldn’t think of a reason Poslof might want an entomologist. None of the evidence presented at trial involved any bugs or insects. In fact, that subject never was mentioned during any portion of the case or in any police reports.

“I don’t see any area where an entomologist is even relevant in any part of the trial,” the prosecutor said.

McKinney said Poslof represented himself early in the case before asking for an attorney.

Pfeiff had no comment on the motion.

Moments after the jury handed down the verdict in Poslof’s trial, he lashed out at Kirihara as the judge left the bench. “The judge put away an innocent person,” Poslof said.

Bacciarini said the outcome of the Jan. 12 hearing will determine whether a sentencing hearing will be scheduled.

This story was originally published January 6, 2017 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Convicted child molester in Merced wants a new trial – and a bug scientist."