KING CITY — King City resident Christopher Garduno was sentenced Aug. 26 to serve six years in state prison after pleading no contest to a single charge of committing a lewd act on a child under the age of 14.
Garduno, 20, also admitted that he had been previously convicted of a serious felony offense. He now must register as a sex offender for at least 20 years.
On Aug. 28, 2021, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a 13-year-old runaway, Jane Doe. Before a deputy arrived, however, Doe had returned home.
During an interview with her, the deputy learned that she had met Garduno on the social media application SnapChat. She disclosed that Garduno knew she was only 13 years old when he came to her house and “committed a lewd act with her,” according to a news release from the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Garduno, however, had led Doe to believe he was under the age of 18. After he came to her home, Doe left with him, which led her mother to report that she had run away.
“A forensic exam was conducted on Jane Doe and Garduno’s DNA was located,” the DA’s Office stated in the release.
