On June 30, 2009, Tulare County Superior Court Judge James Holman imposed a prison sentence of 10 years on 35-year-old Ricardo Calderon of Sultana for lewd acts upon a child that began over a decade ago. The victim, now age 19, reported the molestation after giving birth to her own child, because she feared for the safety of other children in the community.

The defendant began touching the victim sexually when she was about six years old. The molestation continued until she was about 10 years old. The victim kept her silence for many years because the defendant threatened to harm the victim and her family.

The defendant pled no contest to two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child on June 8, 2009.

The Defendant will not be eligible for parole until he has served 85% of his 10-year sentence. The defendant was also ordered to pay a $2,000 restitution fine, to register as a sex offender under Penal Code section 290, to submit to AIDS testing under Penal Code section 1202.1, and to provide DNA samples under Penal Code section 296. His plea means that he now has three strikes on his record.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Bethany M. Gilliland and was investigated by Detective Katherine Garcia of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department.

Contact Person: Shani Jenkins, Assistant District Attorney (559) 733-6411.