A Carpinteria man who was found guilty in September on charges of forcible rape will face eight years in prison after his sentencing in Santa Barbara Superior Court last week.
Manuel Valle, who was 68 at the time of his arrest in 2010, was accused of sexually assaulting two women inside his home in Carpinteria.
With the first victim, a jury found Valle guilty of forcible rape, forcible sexual penetration and false imprisonment.
With the second victim, the jury found Valle not guilty of sexual battery. The jury was hung on assault to commit rape, a count that prosecutor Mary Barron dismissed.
“The court had a lot of discretion in this case as to sentencing, from three years to 19 years in prison,” she said. “The judge selected the term of eight years based on the evidence in the case. We understand the court’s decision and accept it as a just result.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
Comments
