Convicted child molester faces 100-year prison sentence

Sep. 4—John Manuel Cardoza Jr. was found guilty last week in a Yuba County court of eight counts related to the sexual molestation of a child and now faces a maximum possible aggregate sentence in excess of 100 years to life in prison, the Yuba County District Attorney's Office said.

Yuba County Superior Court Judge Benjamin Wirtschafter found Cardoza guilty on Aug. 30 with sentencing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 23, the DA's office said.

Officials said abuse of the child first became known after the child, who the DA's office called "Jane," wrote her mother a letter about what had been happening with her.

"The letter began 'Dear Mom,' and proceeded to describe things that no child should know," the DA's office said. "Jane was terrified to tell. Jane wrote that she was scared because Cardoza had threatened to hurt her siblings if she told anyone. She finally told because she was more scared to see Cardoza again."

Officials said Jane's mother took the child to the Marysville Police Department to report the incidents, which had taken place in Olivehurst and Yuba City. After meeting with the mother and reading the letter, Yuba County Sheriff's Department Detective Rosa Gonzalez led an investigation.

"Detective Gonzalez assembled a multidisciplinary team to interview Jane," the DA's office said. "The team typically consists of a deputy district attorney, social worker from Child Welfare Services, detectives from any involved law enforcement agencies, and an interviewer with special training for interviewing children. We do this so that a child hopefully only has to be interviewed one time, avoiding as much as possible the traumatization that can occur with each retelling of an experience like this."

Yuba County Sheriff's Community Services Officer Lyndsey Deveraux conducted the interview with Jane, while other team members observed from another location, the DA's office said. Hours later, Yuba County Sheriff Department deputies located Cardoza and took him into custody.

"Yuba County District Attorney's Office Deputy District Attorney Brad Morrow handled the prosecution of the case," the DA's office said. "Cardoza was charged with eight counts, including aggravated sexual assault on a child, multiple incidents of forcible lewd acts on a child, multiple acts of intercourse, sodomy, oral copulation, or sexual penetration on a child 10 or younger, and continuous sexual abuse of a child."

Officials said the incidents occurred both in Yuba and Sutter counties.

"To avoid Jane having to testify twice, Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupre gave permission for the Sutter County incidents to be charged in Yuba County," the DA's office said. "Thank you to Yuba City Police Department Detective Scott Rounds and the Sutter County District Attorney for your teamwork on this case."

Cardoza waived his right to a jury trial. After multiple witnesses testified, including Jane, Wirtschafter found the evidence had proven Cardoza guilty of all charges beyond a reasonable doubt, officials said. He remains in custody while awaiting sentencing.

"Thank you to everyone who made justice possible in this case," the DA's office said. "Thank you especially to Jane — you are brave, and you have undoubtedly protected others by speaking up. Thank you to Jane's mother — you did exactly what needed to be done when the horror was revealed to you. Thank you to Detective Gonzalez, Community Services Officer Deveraux, Victim Advocate Shelly Gage, and Deputy District Attorney Brad Morrow. Your dedication to our community and to crime survivors is a testament to you."