On Monday, Judge Michael Carrozzo sentenced a 35-year-old man who raped and impregnated his 13-year-old stepdaughter in 2012 to life in prison without the possibility of parole, marking the first time a child molester received a life sentence in Santa Barbara County.
Santos Guevara-Oliva of Carpinteria was found guilty in March of forcible rape and aggravated sexual assault of a child under age 14. The jury verdict came after weeks of graphic testimonies, including from two young victims. Prosecuting attorney Benjamin Ladinig handled the case; public defender Mindi Boulet represented Guevara-Oliva.
Born in El Salvador, Guevara-Oliva had been deported in 2010 and then illegally reentered the country, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.