SACRAMENTO - A 57-year-old grandfather pleaded guilty Monday to molesting his children and grandchildren and arranging sexual acts between his children and their cousins over a period of more than 20 years.
His daughter, then a young teenager, told authorities of the repeated molestations in 1991, but "for whatever reason no charges were filed," said Nancy Cochrane, a deputy district attorney with Sacramento County's Special Assault and Child Abuse Unit. The acts with his daughter and son began when they were 5 and 6 years old, and grew to involve their cousins at the father's encouragement, she said.
It was only this spring that problems were discovered after the man's very young grandchildren displayed what prosecutors said was "disturbing sexual knowledge." The Sacramento man was arrested in April and has been in custody since.
There is no evidence the children's mother knew of the molestation, Cochrane said.
She wouldn't identify the man, to protect the grandchildren. His son and daughter are now in their late 20s.
He pleaded guilty to multiple charges of lewd acts on a child under a plea agreement, and faces 51 years and four months in state prison at his Dec. 5 sentencing. He gave up all his appeal rights and agreed to have no contact with the victims.
"These victims have grown up in a twisted, perverted environment controlled by the defendant," Cochrane said in announcing the plea. "He has stolen their childhood and has done everything contrary to what we as a community would hope a loving and nurturing father and grandfather would do. With this plea the defendant will never hurt another trusting child again as he will spend the rest of his life in prison."
