News

Former youth counselor sentenced for molesting teen girls

Mountain View man met victims while working at group home in Redwood City

A 30-year-old former youth counselor from Mountain View has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading no contest to several child molestation charges involving two girls at a group home in Redwood City, San Mateo County prosecutors said Monday.

Francis Caceres, who was sentenced Friday, was arrested in January 2017 after law enforcement became aware of his contact with a 14-year-old girl who was a resident at the Your House South youth group home in Redwood City where Caceres worked.

After Caceres' arrest, a 13-year-old girl who was also a resident at Your House South came forward to say she was also a victim, prompting prosecutors to file several more charges against him, prosecutors said.

The second victim said she was molested in the Your House South recreation room, according to the district attorney's office.

In December, Caceres pleaded no contest to one charge each of child molestation, witness dissuasion and unlawful sexual intercourse with a child in exchange for an eight-year prison sentence. Prosecutors had asked for a nine-year sentence.

Help sustain the local news you depend on.

Your contribution matters. Become a member today.

Join

In addition to the prison sentence, Caceres was ordered by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Garratt to pay a yet-to-be-determined amount of restitution to the victims.

He will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, stay away from the victims for 10 years and submit to genetic marker testing, prosecutors said.

Caceres' defense attorney was not immediately available for comment.

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

— Bay City News Service

Follow Mountain View Voice Online on Twitter @mvvoice, Facebook and on Instagram @mvvoice for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more.

Former youth counselor sentenced for molesting teen girls

Mountain View man met victims while working at group home in Redwood City

Uploaded: Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 1:45 pm

A 30-year-old former youth counselor from Mountain View has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading no contest to several child molestation charges involving two girls at a group home in Redwood City, San Mateo County prosecutors said Monday.

Francis Caceres, who was sentenced Friday, was arrested in January 2017 after law enforcement became aware of his contact with a 14-year-old girl who was a resident at the Your House South youth group home in Redwood City where Caceres worked.

After Caceres' arrest, a 13-year-old girl who was also a resident at Your House South came forward to say she was also a victim, prompting prosecutors to file several more charges against him, prosecutors said.

The second victim said she was molested in the Your House South recreation room, according to the district attorney's office.

In December, Caceres pleaded no contest to one charge each of child molestation, witness dissuasion and unlawful sexual intercourse with a child in exchange for an eight-year prison sentence. Prosecutors had asked for a nine-year sentence.

In addition to the prison sentence, Caceres was ordered by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Garratt to pay a yet-to-be-determined amount of restitution to the victims.

He will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, stay away from the victims for 10 years and submit to genetic marker testing, prosecutors said.

Caceres' defense attorney was not immediately available for comment.

— Bay City News Service

Comments

William Hitchens
Registered user
Waverly Park
on Feb 25, 2019 at 4:59 pm
William Hitchens, Waverly Park
Registered user
on Feb 25, 2019 at 4:59 pm

Shouldn't CA or at least Santa Clara County be imposing strict standards for anyone who has direct contact with children who are not in their families? Impose extensive psychological and behavioral testing and also strict background checks, including interviewing their neighbors. If they've lived in other counties and States, check them there too. Some "adults with problems" move frequently to stay ahead of the law. Drug addicts on probation also play that trick.


Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.

Post a comment

Sorry, but further commenting on this topic has been closed.