Probation officer who sexually abused Corona student sentenced

Carlos Lorenzo Martinez, 44, stripped naked while holding a 12-year-old girl and trying to drag her into a bush, prosecutors said.

July 18, 2024, 11:00 a.m. PDT

CORONA, CALIFORNIA – A 44-year-old man on parole who attacked a Corona girl on her way to school, stripped her naked and dragged her into a bush before she escaped was sentenced Wednesday to six years and two months in prison.

Carlos Lorenzo Martinez of Corona pleaded guilty last month to making contact with a minor to commit a sex offense, assault causing great bodily injury and public nuisance as part of a deal with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for Martinez’s confessions, prosecutors dropped three related charges against him.

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During a hearing Wednesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Superior Court Judge John Molloy upheld the terms of the agreement and imposed the sentence agreed to by the prosecution and defense.

According to a prosecutor’s brief filed after the preliminary hearing, the 12-year-old victim, identified only as “JT,” was on her way to Cesar Chavez Elementary School on the morning of October 13, 2021, passing the area of ​​Paseo Grande and West Ontario Avenue when Martinez rode past her on a pink and white bicycle and wearing a bright red dress.

The defendant got off the bike and walked toward the child on his bike, repeatedly muttering “sweet little girl” in Spanish, which the victim understood, the summary states.

JT immediately feared she might be sexually assaulted and tried to escape.

According to the prosecution, Martinez threw the bicycle at her back, causing her to fall onto the sidewalk.

“The defendant then grabbed the child quite violently,” the complaint states. “He held it aggressively with both hands.”

Martinez began to drag the frightened girl toward the bushes, which caught the attention of several passing motorists, who stopped and called 911.

“The defendant undressed and stood naked over the victim, presenting his penis to the child,” court documents state.

JT broke away from Martinez and ran toward a school bus that was stopped across the street. She got on for safety, and Martinez got back on the motorcycle and rode away “completely naked,” according to the lawsuit.

Patrol officers responding to eyewitness reports located the defendant within minutes and took him into custody without incident.

When asked by investigators whether he suffered from mental health problems, he answered “no,” according to the public prosecutor.

Court records show that Martinez was convicted of traffic-related misdemeanors in Riverside County, but not of felonies.