SANTA ROSA — A Santa Rosa man has been sentenced to 70 years in prison for the continuous sexual assault of a child.
Fernando Esquivel, 30, was convicted of sexual abuse of a child under 14 years old.
The abuse started when the victim was in the second grade and continued until the outcry was made when she was in third grade, prosecutors said.
The Cameron County District Attorney’s Office Child Abuse Unit secured the guilty verdict Thursday.
The jury deliberated for a little more than an hour before their verdict was announced in the 103rd Judicial District Court.
The Cameron County District Attorney’s office said the outcry from this victim was made after a counselor from Maggie’s and Monica’s House spoke to her class about “Good Touches and Bad Touches.”
These presentations, according to the district attorney’s office, have proven effective in making children aware about good touches and bad touches and how important it is to speak out if bad touches are occurring.
“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.”
Prosecuting a child abuse case can be very difficult and emotionally draining, but the Cameron County District Attorney’s Child Abuse Unit never waivers from even the most challenging of cases, Saenz said.
The Child Abuse Unit was conceived in 2013 and is led by unit supervisor Assistant District Attorney Brandy Bailey and her team that consists of Assistant District Attorney Omar Saenz, Assistant District Attorney Melanie Palomo-Zamora, Investigator Eduardo Limon and Paralegal Gabriela Cruz.
Child abuse cases require a lot of work and it is vital for everyone to come together as a team for the safety of the children.
Maggie’s and Monica’s House, law enforcement agencies and medical personnel all come together as one with the district attorney’s office to prosecute these cases aggressively for the safety and well-being of the children.
