Man found guilty of molesting 7-year-old girl in SLO County

A man has been found guilty of molesting a seven-year-old girl in San Luis Obispo County.

According to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, 47-year-old Jose Luis Diaz was found guilty Monday of two felony counts of Committing a Lewd Act on a Child Under the Age of 14 and one misdemeanor count of Child Molesting. The verdict was reached after a two-week trial and two hours of deliberation.

In December of 2016, Diaz was staying at a residence occupied by the then seven-year-old victim and other family members. While the minor victim’s mother was at work, Diaz took the victim and her cousin to a nearby store and touched her inappropriately. The crime was reported to the City of Grover Beach Police Department the same day. It was later learned that Diaz had touched the victim in a similar manner the day prior while the family attended the Vine Street Parade in Paso Robles, the district attorney’s office said.

“Crimes against children are particularly heinous and our office stands ready to aggressively prosecute such offenses to the best of our ability, said San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow. ” We are proud of this young victim’s courage in coming forward and reporting this crime.”

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 30 at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court.