Vidal Vargas Morales of Fillmore convicted of felony lewd acts on a 15-year-old

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced on Tuesday that Vidal Vargas Morales of Fillmore was convicted by a jury of one felony count of lewd acts on a child who was 15 years old.

The jury also found the special allegation true that Morales took advantage of a position of trust to commit his crimes.

In 2013, Morales met the sexual assault survivor while working as a youth coordinator for a church in Fillmore and they were attending catechism courses detail Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, between October and November of 2013, Morales began inappropriate conversations with the underage person both verbally and through text messages.

In early November of 2013, Morales grabbed and fondled the 15-year-old detail Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office explain that this crime was reported years later and that other survivors of Morales' crimes also testified during the trial.

“I am grateful to the victim for her courage in reporting the crime and testifying at trial,” Mr. Kern said. “I am also thankful to the additional victims who testified about their experiences—dating back to 1999—demonstrating the defendant’s continued pattern of criminal conduct. While today’s verdict can never fully heal the damage done by the defendant to these victims, I am hopeful that this conviction will help in the continuing healing process and send a message to other offenders that this type of behavior will not be tolerated in our community.”

Morales is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2024, in courtroom 23 of the Ventura County Superior Court.

Ventura County District Attorney's Office explain that Morales remains out of custody on $20,000 bail pending his sentencing.