A 66-year-old man was arrested in Santa Ana for sexually abusing 3 young girls who were staying in his home as foster kids. He and his wife had the intent of adopting the children in the near future. Felipe Hernandez is said to have had a long history of sexual abuse interactions with children and now that he has been arrested there are at least a dozen charges placed against him. These include multiple counts of lewd acts with children, possession of child pornography, unlawful sexual intercourse, and aggravated sexual assault.
At this time his bail has been placed at $1 million, and it is very possible that he could be spending the rest of his life behind bars if he is convicted of these crimes. The specific charges that led to this arrest for raping a 9-year-old girl back in 2006, and continual acts of sexual conduct with a 15-year-old girl between 2009 and 2012. According to the District Attorney's Office, they claim that the victim shared that Hernandez would threaten to take away privileges such as her cell phone, and computer if she refused to be sexually abused by him. During that same time frame, he allegedly had multiple sexual encounters with an 11-year-old girl as well.
Reports show that each of these sexual acts with a minor was done within the confines of his own home. These three girls were foster kids in the house, and Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez also had three of their own children as well. Investigators say that they are also concerned that the mother may be involved in these acts of sexual abuse as well, and they are trying to discern if she was involved in any way.
Hernandez's actions were allegedly discovered by one of his family members while they were at his home. They allegedly discovered a video card that had footage of his inappropriate touching of the 15-year-old girl. After finding this footage the family member contacted the police immediately. In August of 2012, this same 15-year-old victim approached her school counselor about the abuse, and the family was banned from the foster system as well.
Being arrested for sex crimes is a large pill to swallow, as it cannot only result in many years of jail time but it can also harm your reputation for the rest of your life. Law enforcement officials take these actions very seriously, especially when the accusations are made for actions against a minor. In the event you have been arrested for a sex crime of any sort, contact an experienced Fullerton criminal defense attorney at the Law Offices of Jacqueline Goodman today for the legal representation you need.