Oakdale man charged with attempted lewd acts with a child pleads not guilty
An Oakdale man accused of arranging to meet someone he believed was a child under 14 years old for sex has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges and retained a private attorney as his case moves toward a preliminary hearing in the coming months.
Phillip Abraham Daniel Capeder, 32, entered pleas of not guilty Monday in Stanislaus County Superior Court to charges of attempted lewd or lascivious acts with a child younger than 14, distributing harmful matter to a minor with the intent to seduce, and arranging to meet a minor for the purpose of committing a lewd act.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office, the case involves an undercover decoy posing as a child younger than 14.
Court records show that following his arraignment, Capeder was released from custody under several conditions, including prohibitions on possessing child sexual abuse material and requirements that electronic devices in his possession be subject to searches for such material. He also was ordered to stay away from places primarily frequented by children, including schools, parks, playgrounds and similar locations.
Capeder returned to court Friday for an early case management conference, where Julissa Echevarria of the Alternate Defenders Office made a special appearance on behalf of retained defense attorney Ryan Roth.
Capeder waived his statutory right to a preliminary hearing within the normal time limits, and the court scheduled an early case management hearing for Aug. 24 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 3 of Stanislaus County Superior Court.
Outside the courtroom, Capeder declined to discuss the allegations.
“I’m not able to comment at this time,” Capeder told The Bee. Asked whether there was anything he wanted the public to know about the case, he replied, “Not at this time.”
When asked about the allegations outlined in the criminal complaint, Capeder said, “I will direct all questions to my lawyer.”
The Bee left a voicemail Friday seeking comment from Roth. He did not respond before publication. Deputy District Attorney Harshan Samra also declined to comment following Friday’s hearing.
Capeder was arrested July 9 after Patterson Police Services announced investigators had arrested him following what authorities described as an online child predator investigation.
Police previously alleged Capeder used electronic communications to arrange a meeting with someone he believed was a minor for the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct. Investigators said he was arrested after arriving at a predetermined meeting location in Patterson.
While authorities did not initially disclose whether the investigation involved an undercover operation, the criminal complaint alleges the communications were with an undercover decoy posing as a child younger than 14.
This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Oakdale man charged with attempted lewd acts with a child pleads not guilty."
