33-Year-Old Greenfield Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison for Child Molestation Convictions Involving 4 Victims

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on February 21

that 33-year-old Gustavo Espinoza Villalobos of Greenfield, was sentenced to 25-years-

to-life in state prison by Superior Court Judge Mark Hood. On December 13, 2024, a jury found

Villalobos guilty of 3 counts of Penal Code section 288(a) – lewd or lascivious acts on a child

under the age of 14, and 1 count of Penal Code section 647.6 – annoy or molest a child under the

age of 18. The jury also found true the multiple victim enhancement for each count of Penal Code

section 288(a).

All 3 Penal Code section 288(a) offenses are serious and violent felonies and are considered

strikes under California’s Three Strikes Law. Villalobos was also ordered to register as a sex

offender.

In December of 2018, Detective Joseph Dyles of the Greenfield Police Department spoke with John

Doe 1. John Doe 1 disclosed to Detective Dyles that Villalobos molested him when he was 10 years

old. Villalobos lived next door to John Doe 1 in Greenfield at the time of the molestation. Further

investigation revealed that John Does 2, 3, and 4, who were members of Villalobos’ family, were

also molested by him. These molestations occurred when John Doe 2 was 12 years old, John Doe 3

was 9 years old, and John Doe 4 was 11 or 12 years old. All 4 victims delayed reporting the

incidents for years. According to research into sexual assault victim behavior, it is very common for

victims to delay reporting the sexual abuse, especially when the victim is a minor and has a close

relationship with the perpetrator. Shortly after these accusations came to light, Villalobos fled the

country to Mexico. He was apprehended in 2023 at the border and extradited to Monterey County to

face prosecution for his crimes against John Doe 1, 2, 3, and 4.

This case was investigated by Greenfield Police Detective Joseph Dyles and King City Police

Sergeant Joshue Partida. Monterey County District Attorney Investigator Rebecca Ayala conducted

follow-up investigation on the case. John Does 1, 2, 3, and 4 were assisted by the District

Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Assistance Program Manager Alma Sanchez. Court Facility

Support Dog, Norma Jeane, provided John Doe 1 with much needed support after his testimony at

trial.

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Fatal 3 Vehicle Accident Involving Wrong Way Driver on Highway 101 Outside of King City on January 10

A fatal multi-vehicle collision happened on Saturday night, January 10 at 9:51 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 outside of King City. According to the King City CHP a 2016 Toyota Tacoma driven by 65-year-old Paul Lee Cooper of Otis, Oregon was heading the wrong way going southbound in the northbound lanes south of Jolon Road, while a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 33-year-old Dinora Maribel Gomez of Salinas was heading northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road in the #1 lane and a Honda Accord driven by 36-year-old Ignacio Sangerman of King City was also traveling northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road but was in the #2 lane. Due to Cooper's level of impairment his vehicle went the wrong way on Highway 101 going directly into the path of Gomez' vehicle causing the rear of her car to crash with the front of the vehicle driven by Sangerman. Cooper was arrested, sustaining major injuries and was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas where as of January 12 is...

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