December 17, 2004

Court clerk pleads guilty to sex charge

CALIFORNIA
The Daily Journal

In an unusually swift resolution to a potentially charged case, Daniel Aram Garcia, 47, a county Superior Court clerk and pastor at a Redwood Valley church, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor of 14 or 15 years old.

The maximum penalty is three years in prison.

Held previously on a $500,000 bond, Garcia was released on his own recognizance and will go home to his wife in Willits until his sentencing Jan. 27.

Outraged comments are already circulating through the legal establishment in Ukiah that Garcia's position as a court clerk resulted in a lenient deal for him. Sources who have heard about the investigation allege that Garcia's admissions alone could have put him behind bars for many years.

Posted by kshaw at December 17, 2004 04:50 PM