On October 27, 2009, Tulare County Superior Court Judge Gerald Sevier imposed a prison sentence of 18 years on 27-year-old Jose Manuel Gomez of Dinuba for forcible sex crimes committed on a 13-year-old girl. The forcible molests occurred in the county near Dinuba. The victim’s father walked in on the defendant molesting the victim in her home. The victim was crying. The defendant escaped the home through a window and was located by law enforcement a few weeks later. According to the victim, the defendant had repeatedly assaulted her since she was 12 years old.

The defendant pled no contest to six counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under the age of 14. As a result of the plea, the defendant is now convicted of six strike offenses and will be required to serve 85% of that sentence before being eligible for parole. His parole can last up to five years. The defendant was also ordered to pay a $10,000 restitution fine, to register as a sex offender under Penal Code section 290, to submit to an HIV test, and to provide DNA samples under Penal Code section 296.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Bethany M. Gilliland and investigated by the Detective Kathy Garcia and Detective Dale Cullum of the Tulare County Sherriff’s Department.

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