Fillmore church youth coordinator sentenced to two years in prison for felony lewd act conviction
FILLMORE, Calif. – Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Vidal Vargas Morales was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in state prison for his December conviction on one felony count of of lewd act upon a child who was 15-years-old.
Morales will be required to register as a sex offender as part of his sentencing and the court found true the special allegation that he took advantage of a position of trust to commit his crimes state Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
In 2013, while working as a youth coordinator for a church in Fillmore, Morales met the survivor of his sexual assault while they were attending catechism classes detail Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Morales engaged in inappropriate communications verbally and through text between October and November of 2013, and in early November of the same year, he grabbed and fondled the sexual assault survivor.
That crime was reported years later and other survivors testified during Morales' trial about their experience detail Ventura Country District Attorney
“The defendant used his position of trust and authority as a respected member of the church and Fillmore community to inflict emotional, spiritual, and ultimately, sexual abuse against the victim,” said Deputy District Attorney Michael Kern. “The severity of the sentence reflects the severity of the conduct. And while this sentence can never fully remedy the harm suffered by the victim in this case, hopefully it serves as one step in this continued healing process.”
Morales is next scheduled to appear for a restitution hearing on Jan. 31, 2024, at 9 a.m. in courtroom 14 of the Ventura County Superior Court state Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
