Soledad man pleads no contest to continuous sexual abuse of a child

A Soledad man pleaded no contest to one felony count of continuous sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 14 on Monday.

Investigators say that in April, a 13-year-old girl told Soledad police that she had been molested since she was 4-years-old by 54-year-old Ruben Crystalinas. At the time he helped run an unlicensed daycare in Soledad that the girl attended.

She told police that when she was between 4 and 6-years-old, Crystalinas would bring her into a shed and make her touch his genitalia and would occasionally grope her. She said it happened on a monthly basis during that time.

The girl said that when she was between 8 and 10-years-old, Crystalinas would inappropriately touch her in social settings when other people were not around.

While police were investigating the claims, Crystalinas turned himself into police and confessed that he had touched her inappropriately over the course of several years.

Crystalinas will be sentenced on August 23. The District Attorney’s Office said he agreed to a stipulated 6 year prison sentence, and he will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.