SANTA ROSA — A Santa Rosa man has been sentenced to 70 years in prison for the continuous sexual assault of child.
Fernando Esquivel, 30, a relative of the child, was convicted of sexual abuse of a child: victim under 14 years old.
The Cameron County District Attorney’s Office says the child told her mother and grandmother about the abuse after a counselor from Maggie’s and Monica’s House spoke to the child’s class about good touches and bad touches.
The DA’s office says the abuse started when the child was in the second grade and continued until the she was in third grade.
“I’d like to thank all the counselors and staff and Maggie’s and Monica’s House, who have to deal with these difficult cases on a day to day basis,” said Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz. “They have these difficult conversations with children who suffer the repercussions of abuse. Their expertise in dealing with these children empowers them and gives them the courage to “outcry” about the abuse they have suffered.”
It took the jury just a little over an hour to return the guilty verdict.
