Merced County jury convicts man of sexually abusing three children in Los Banos
A Merced County jury found Jose Juan Pineda guilty on Friday of sexually abusing children.
Pineda, also known as Juan Ibarra Pineda, was found guilty of seven separate counts of lewd and lascivious act on a child under 14, according to a news release from the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.
The youngest victim, who was 8 years old at the time, disclosed the abuse to her mother. Los Banos Police Sgt. Robert Wiens tracked down multiple victims and was the lead investigator on the case.
Three victims came to court and testified about abuse they experienced. Along with the youngest victim who is now 10, two adult victims described events that occurred when they were children.
All three victims were about the same age when the abuse happened, according to the release.
Deputy District Attorney Sara Rosenthal prosecuted the case.
Pineda faces 105 years to life in prison at his upcoming sentencing hearing on Jan. 12.
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 5:56 PM.
