2-Year Prison Sentence For Man Who Assaulted Lake Elsinore Girl

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A 31-year-old man who sexually assaulted a Lake Elsinore girl was sentenced Friday to two years in state prison.

Christian Javier Ramirez Padilla last month admitted one count each of lewd acts on a child and unlawful intercourse with a minor under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped five related charges and various sentence enhancements against Padilla.

During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Friday, Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson certified the terms of the plea deal. He additionally ordered that Padilla register as a convicted sex offender for life under Penal Code section 290, which bars offenders from working around kids and limits where they can go.

The defendant was arrested in March 2021 following a sheriff's department investigation.

According to Sgt. Julio Olguin, deputies were informed about the offenses in early 2021, although the victim, identified in court documents only as "E.G.," told investigators the attack occurred in June 2020. The victim's age was not revealed.

Olguin said that Padilla encountered the girl at a residence in the 39000 block of Ardenwood Way, near Highway 74, and forced himself on her multiple times over an unspecified period.

It was unclear why the offenses weren't immediately reported, and no details were disclosed regarding how the defendant and victim were acquainted.

Detectives obtained evidence justifying an arrest warrant, which they served on Padilla on Central Avenue in Lake Elsinore during the afternoon of March 26, 2021.

Padilla had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.