Lompoc Man Sentenced to Eight Years for Lewd Acts Committed Against Two Minors

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch announced on Wednesday that Edward Norman Hill Lewis, 44, of Lompoc was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of lewd or lascivious acts against two minors. He will also have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Lewis was originally arrested in October 2021 after a 17-year-old girl with autism — who is identified in court documents only as “Jane Doe 1” — disclosed that Lewis had been molesting her since she was 13 years old. This “courageous revelation,” according to Savernoch, prompted several other survivors who had been sexually assaulted by Lewis to come forward with their stories, some even dating back as far as 1999. However, due to California’s statute of limitations, the District Attorney’s Office said, only one additional survivor, listed only as “Jane Doe 2,” could bring charges to court. She disclosed that Lewis had sexually assaulted and exploited her into sending sexually explicit photos of herself when she was only 15 years old. 

According to the press release, Lewis had befriended and gained the trust of the mothers of both victims before carrying out these crimes. The press release also stated that “the outcome achieved in this case would not have been possible without the bravery displayed by all the survivors who came forward.”

Judge Michael Carrozzo sentenced Lewis on May 23, and Lewis is currently being held in Santa Barbara County’s Northern Branch Jail pending transportation to another facility.