Kidnapper From Artesia Who Sexually Assaulted Two Girls Sentenced to 55 Years to Life In Prison

An Artesia man who sexually assaulted two girls and tried to kidnap a 10-year-old girl in Orange County in 2009 was sentenced Friday to 55 years to life in prison.

Alfredo Granados Canchola, 29, was convicted Sept. 7 of kidnapping to commit a sex offense, lewd acts on a child under 14, sexual penetration by a foreign object by force, aggravated kidnapping with the intent to commit a sex offense, and attempted kidnapping to commit a sex offense, Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown said. 

Orange County Superior Court Judge John Conley handed down the maximum sentence to Canchola.

"I have given you the maximum sentence because I believe you have shown yourself to be a menace to children,'' Conley said.

"What you did to me when I was a little girl really affected me and scared me,'' one of his victims said to Canchola. "You are disgusting ... I have suffered, a lot of people suffered and now you get to suffer.''

Defense attorney Kaveh Ardalan argued that his client did not plan the crimes, but Conley didn't agree.

"It seems to the court he was hunting, looking for opportunity,'' Conley said, noting that Canchola appeared to know what school one of his victims was walking to when he abducted her.

Ardalan said his client was remorseful.

"On behalf of Mr. Canchola, he is sorry for putting the families through these experiences,'' Ardalan told the judge.

Canchola, who needed a translator, did not address the judge.

Brown praised investigators who tracked down Canchola after he tried to abduct the 10-year-old. By comparing notes, Anaheim and Irvine detectives found a link to one of the abductions, Brown said.

Canchola approached a 13-year-old girl who was walking to junior high school in Anaheim about 7:45 a.m. on March 19, 2009, Brown said. He drove his 1988 Toyota Camry to her, asked for directions and then offered her a ride, Brown said.

When she got into the car he started driving away from the school and touched the girl's leg while pulling the seat belt tighter and speeding up, Brown said.

The girl managed to get free and tumbled out of the moving car, taking the risk because she feared she would be killed, Brown said.

Canchola approached the next victim, a 16-year-old girl, while driving on the San Diego (405) Freeway in Irvine about 1 p.m. on May 19, 2009.

The girl was driving on the freeway when Canchola waved her over to get directions, Brown said.

Canchola persuaded the girl to follow him off the freeway to an apartment parking lot, where he forced her into his burgundy-colored Lexus and molested her and kissed her, Brown said.

The girl managed to send a text message to her boyfriend while she was being attacked and he drove over to where the two were and beat up Canchola, Brown said.

Canchola tried to kidnap a 10-year-old girl near her home in an unincorporated area near Anaheim about 3 p.m. on Aug. 15, 2009, Brown said. The girl resisted his attempts to talk to him, even turning down an offer of money, and rode her scooter back to her father, who ran after Canchola and got a partial license plate number, Brown said.

The partial license plate led investigators to Canchola, who was caught when he responded to a ruse by investigators who called him about detailing his truck, Brown said. Canchola earned a living as a mobile detailer, Brown said.

- Paul Anderson of City News Service