(Woodland, CA) – April 6, 2015 – Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that on Friday, April 3, 2015, a Yolo County Jury found Fidel Alcantar Soto, 54, of Woodland, guilty of child molestation. During trial, prosecuting attorney Ryan J. Couzens presented evidence to the jury that last November, Soto’s son caught him molesting his 5-year-old granddaughter. It was later revealed through the investigation by the Woodland Police Department that Soto had molested another child in the mid-1990s.
The jury returned verdicts of guilty on one count of Oral Copulation with a Child under the Age of 10, two counts of Lewd Act with a Child, one count of Child Abuse and an enhancement for molesting multiple children.
District Attorney Jeff Reisig commended the brave family members for coming forward, and praised the work by the Woodland Police Department: “Child molestation is a terrible crime that lurks in the shadows,” said Reisig. “We commend the detectives of the Woodland Police Department for their thorough investigation that helped end a pattern of abuse and exploitation.”
Judge David Reed presided over the four day trial and is scheduled to sentence Soto on June 5, 2015 at 9:00 in Department 6 of the Yolo County Superior Court. Soto is facing a potential sentence of life in state prison.
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