On April 27, 2010, Tulare County Superior Court Judge James Hollman sentenced 33-year-old Daniel Joseph Craig to a term of 30 years in state prison for committing forcible lewd acts on a child under 14 years of age and production of child pornography.

On April 6, 2010, Craig pled guilty to committing forcible lewd acts on a child under fourteen, contacting a minor for the purpose of committing a sexual offense, and using a child to produce child pornography. The charges stemmed from an incident occurring in early March of 2010 in the city of Tulare when the child was left in Craig’s care.

In addition to the prison sentence, the Court ordered Craig to have no further contact with the victim, nor any child under the age of 18. Craig must also submit to AIDS testing pursuant to Penal Code section 1202.1, and must register as a sex offender for life pursuant to Penal Code section 290. Because the charges count as “Strike” offenses under California’s Three Strikes law, Craig must serve at least 85% of the imposed sentence.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Phil Esbenshade, and investigated by Detective Greg Merrill of the Tulare Police Department.

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