Jury convicts Merced County man, 52, of repeatedly molesting two children
.jpeg "Conrad Castillo")
A Merced County jury has found a 52-year old Delhi man guilty of repeatedly molesting two children.
Conrad Castillo was convicted of two felony counts of oral copulation with a child under the age of 10 and and three counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under the age of 14 on Thursday, Dec. 9.
The now-adult victims reported the sexual abuse to their father in May 2020, who then reported the abuse to the local police, according to a press release by the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.
Castillo had admitted to the victims’ father in a telephone conversation that he used his tongue while touching one of the victims along with other behavior.
When the Merced County Sheriff’s Office attempted to arrest Castillo he provided a false name and failed to immediately cooperate with deputies, according to the release.
The jury heard testimony from both victims and their father.
Jurors also heard that the defendant maintained he may have touched the children in play or during a greeting, saying he never touched them in a sexual way, the release said.
Castillo will be sentenced by Merced County Superior Court Judge Steven Slocum on Jan. 13.
He faces a possible sentence of 105 years-to-life in prison.
Detective Ortiz from the Merced County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, and Deputy District Attorney Sara Rosenthal prosecuted the matter.
