Man sentenced to prison for molesting 4-year-old girl in Merced County

Nine months after a jury delivered a guilty verdict to Lonnie Lee Poslof Jr. for sex crimes against a child, a Merced Superior Court judge denied him a new trial and handed down the maximum sentence for his crimes.

Judge Mark Bacciarini on Monday sentenced Poslof to 27 years to life in prison. Poslof was found guilty in December last year of three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and one count of oral copulation. Poslof also will be required to register as a sex offender.

Poslof, 37, maintained his innocence since a warrant first was issued for his arrest in 2013. He was captured in July 2014 in Fresno. Bacciarini on Tuesday also denied Poslof’s motion for a new trial, which Poslof has requested repeatedly since his December conviction.

Poslof’s defense attorney, Eloise Kelsey, argued that prosecutors, the judge and Poslof’s defense attorney during the trial didn’t give proper instructions to jurors when considering certain pieces of evidence.

Prosecutors said Poslof penned a letter while in jail questioning whether the victim’s the home burned down while the family was present, in an effort to get rid of any key witnesses in the case.

Kelsey argued the letter and phone calls from jail were used for limited purposes during the trial and said jurors weren’t properly instructed on how to consider that evidence.

“Mr. Poslof is entitled to a fair trial, not a perfect trial,” Bacciarini said.

Investigators accused Poslof of molesting as many as five children; however, he only was charged with harming one victim. The victim testified against Poslof from another location through a closed-circuit television camera, the first time such testimony has been allowed in any Merced County case.

Before Bacciarini handed down his sentence, the mother and grandmother of Poslof’s young victim read statements.

The victim’s grandmother said their “nightmare” started more than four years ago.

“Because of our angel’s courage, strength, support from us and law enforcement ... she is responsible for stopping you from hurting any more children for a very long time. She is our super hero. You may have thought you had control over them, but as it turned out a 4-year-old child had control over you.”

She read a letter to Poslof from the victim, now 8 years old: “You are stupid. I do not like you or love you. ... I just had a birthday. I turned 8. I never want to see you again, ever. I do not love you.”

The girl’s mother described the impact the abuse had on the victim and her other children. Her daughter suffers from PTSD and anxiety that was so extreme she began losing her hair. She no longer trusts men, even her own father and uncles. The family had to move out of their home and attend countless doctor appointments and therapy sessions.

“The fun-loving girl that I was raising to become a beautiful and independent young woman became a victim of Lee’s because he was able to manipulate her to satisfy his sick, evil ways,” the girl’s mother said. “Innocence is the greatest gift given to us by God, and Lee took that away from my kids.”

Poslof’s defense attorney, Eloise Kelsey, declined to comment on the sentence.

Deputy District Attorney Michael McKinney, who prosecuted the case, said it was clear Poslof did everything he could to drag out the case.

“He’s a very dangerous person who’s victimized many people,” McKinney said. “Not all of them got as chance to tell their story to a jury. He should never be able to hurt a child again.”

McKinney praised the work of Merced Police Detective Raquel Rios, who stuck with the case and built a relationship with the victim so the girl felt comfortable speaking with her.

The victim’s mother also had one message for other parents and guardians: “If your child tells you that something’s happened to them, believe them.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2017 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Man sentenced to prison for molesting 4-year-old girl in Merced County."