A Santa Paula man will spend at least 29 years in state prison, with a possible life sentence, for sexually abusing a child under the age of 14 over a six-year span at homes the two shared in Santa Paula and Oxnard. Jaime Torres, born May 25, 1984, was convicted of continuous sexual abuse, aggravated sexual assault of a child, and lewd acts upon a child following a jury trial that concluded with his conviction on June 24.
Abuse Spanned Two Cities Before Coming to Light
The abuse occurred between 2012 and 2018, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, which said the victim was under 14 throughout that period and lived with Torres at shared residences in both cities. The case did not become known to authorities until 2019, when the victim reported the abuse to a trusted family member, according to KEYT. That disclosure triggered an investigation that led to Ventura County Superior Court criminal case number 2020033595, the station reported.
Delayed reporting is common in cases involving abuse by a co-habitant or trusted adult, and prosecutors leaned on a specific California law built for exactly that circumstance. California Penal Code § 288.5 defines continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 as three or more acts of substantial sexual conduct or lewd acts occurring over three months or longer by someone living in the same home or with recurring access to the child, according to legal analysis published by Shouse Law Group. The law was designed so prosecutors do not need to pin down exact dates for every act during an extended period of cohabitation abuse, per the same analysis.
Prosecutor Cites Betrayal of Trust
The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Ben Moreno, a member of the DA's specialized Sexual Assault Unit, the district attorney's office said. Moreno praised the victim's courage and strength throughout the process and said the sentence may bring her justice and closure. He said Torres was entrusted with protecting a child but betrayed that trust, calling the sentence a just consequence for the betrayal.
A jury found true all of the aggravating factors alleged against Torres, including that the victim was particularly vulnerable and that Torres took advantage of a position of trust. Under California Rules of Court Rule 4.421(a)(3) and Rule 4.421(a)(11), those two circumstances are recognized aggravating factors that judges can weigh in imposing an upper-term or consecutive sentence, according to official guidelines published by the Judicial Branch of California.
Sentencing Exposure and Registration Requirements
Following his June 24 conviction, Torres faced a potential statutory maximum of up to 31 years to life in state prison before his final sentencing, KEYT reported at the time. District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Torres was ultimately sentenced to 29 years to life in state prison.
One of Torres's convictions, aggravated sexual assault of a child under Penal Code § 269(a)(1), carries its own mandatory minimum of 15 years to life in state prison and requires lifetime Tier 3 sex offender registration under Penal Code § 290, according to Esfandi Law Group. That statute applies when a qualifying felony sexual assault is committed against a child under 14 by an offender at least seven years older.
Second Ventura County Sentencing Same Day
Torres's sentencing was not the only continuous child sexual abuse case resolved by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office that day. The office also announced that Timothy Wade Hensley of Ventura was sentenced to 12 years in state prison under the same continuous-abuse statute, Penal Code § 288.5, according to the office's press releases. Both cases involved defendants accused of exploiting positions of trust over vulnerable minors.
Nasarenko, elected in June 2022, leads an office of 115 deputy district attorneys and 60 sworn investigators handling felony prosecutions across Ventura County, according to the district attorney's office. The Torres case is the latest in a string of continuous child sexual abuse prosecutions the office's Sexual Assault Unit has brought in the region over the past two years.
Civil Recourse Remains Open for Survivors
Beyond the criminal case, survivors of childhood sexual abuse in California retain the ability to pursue civil claims well into adulthood. Under California Code of Civil Procedure § 340.1, enacted through Assembly Bill 218, adult survivors can file civil lawsuits up to age 40 or within five years of discovering trauma-related injury, regardless of how the criminal case turned out, according to Compass Law Group, LLP. Civil claims are decided under a preponderance-of-evidence standard, a lower bar than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard used in criminal court.
