A former volunteer at Anaheim Vineyard Church's children's ministry has been handed down a sentence exceeding a century in prison after being convicted on multiple counts related to child molestation and possession of child pornography. Todd Christian Hartman, aged 41, will serve 120 years to life with an additional term of four years and four months for his crimes against minors.
The Orange County District Attorney's office announced Hartman's conviction earlier this month on charges including lewd acts with a minor under 14, oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years or younger, lewd acts upon a child aged 14 or 15, and, possession of child pornography. In 2016, Hartman confessed to one of the victim's fathers about the molestations, which started when the child was just six years old after they had met through his volunteer work at the church.
According to the official press release from the district attorney's office, Hartman's inappropriate behavior raised concerns at the church where he volunteered, leading to a change in his duties. Despite this, the abuses continued, including during a 2009 sleepover in Fullerton where Hartman was convicted of molesting a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old girl.
Law enforcement's investigation into Hartman gained momentum in 2015 when the Newport Beach Police Department, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, executed a search warrant at his Newport Beach residence. The search was initiated after tracing an IP address linked to several images of child pornography back to Hartman's home. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the violations of trust and safety within a religious institution, stating, "Houses of worship should be safe havens from the evils of the world, but instead child predators transform them from a place of safety into a hunting ground for unsuspecting victims for their twisted sexual gratification," Spitzer said.
Despite the lengthy sentence, Hartman could become eligible for parole under California’s elder parole law, which allows for parole consideration for most felons who are 50 or older and have completed at least 20 years of their sentence. D.A. Todd Spitzer expressed strong opposition to the idea of Hartman's potential early release, vowing to work to keep him incarcerated. Deputy District Attorney Scott Wooldridge of the Sexual Assault Unit led the prosecution in this case.
