Juan Antonio Esquivel.
–On June 6, 2019, a San Luis Obispo County jury found Paso Robles resident Juan Antonio Esquivel (age 31) guilty of committing a lewd act on a child under the age of fourteen and sexual penetration by a foreign object on a child under the age of fourteen, both felonies.
The convictions are the result of an incident of sexual abuse which occurred in December of 2016. The jury returned their verdicts after a two-week trial and one half day of deliberation.
“Cases of sexual abuse of children are some of the most complex, sensitive, and tragic cases handled by our office,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “We admire the courage of this young victim in coming forward to report the abuse. We thank the jury and for their service and we are proud of the hard work of our entire prosecution team that ensured this victim’s voice could be heard and this offender could be held accountable.”
Sentencing is scheduled for July 2, 2019, in Department 10 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, the Honorable Judge Jesse Marino presiding. Esquivel faces a maximum sentence of 8 years in state prison and will be required to register as a sex offender.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Lisa Muscari and investigated by the Paso Robles Police Department.