Merced County jury convicts man of child molestation for acts committed at Gustine farm

A jury has convicted a 70-year-old Madera man of child molestation for acts that happened at a Gustine farm, according to the Merced County District Attorneys Office.

On June 25 jurors found Rodolfo Calderon on three counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14 and one count of oral copulation of a child 10-years-old or younger, according to a news release.

The trial was held following an August 2020 report to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office. In the report, the victim disclosed they were repeatedly touched by Calderon over a span of years between the ages of 7 and 11, when visiting the farm.

Authorities said Calderon disguised his behavior by requiring the victim to sit on his lap while driving a vehicle on farm property. The victim did not report the sexual abuse until they were a teenager.

In addition to the victim’s testimony, jurors heard admissions made by Calderon to an adult family member during a pretext phone call arranged by the Merced County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau. According to the release, Calderon also admitted to detectives following his arrest, that he touched the victim in a sexual manner.

Calderon reportedly told detectives he committed the acts because he was “touched by the devil,” according to the release.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6.

The District Attorney’s Office said Calderon faces up to 15 years to life in prison on the four felony counts. Deputy District Attorney Sara Rosenthal was the prosecuting attorney on the case.