On June 23, 2010, Tulare County Superior Court Judge Darryl Ferguson imposed a three-year prison sentence on 74-year-old Aires Dasilva of Tulare.

On April 15, 2010, Dasilva pleaded no contest to charges of committing a lewd act on a child under fourteen, and annoying or molesting a child under 18. The charges stemmed from a 2008 report by a nine-year-old female that Dasilva had taken behind a barrier and touched during a celebration at TDES hall in Tulare. During the course of the subsequent investigation, two additional juvenile females reported that Dasilva had also touched them inappropriately. Those events were reported to have occurred between 2005 and 2008 in the county of Tulare. All three juvenile victims were known to Dasilva prior to the incidents.

In addition to the prison sentence, Dasilva was ordered to register as a sex offender pursuant to California Penal Code section 290, and to submit to AIDS testing. The charge of committing a lewd act on a child counts as a “Strike” offense, and is considered a violent felony. Dasilva must serve at least 85% of the imposed sentence before being paroled.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Phil Esbenshade, and investigated by Detective Don Smith of the Porterville Police Department and Investigator Gregg White of Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.

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