Seaside man sentenced to prison for kidnapping, child molestation

A Seaside man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for kidnapping, sodomizing and orally copulating a minor under 14 years old.

A 13-year-old girl said she met Juan Rojas-Cervantes, who was 37 years old at the time, on a social media site. Rojas-Cervantes’ profile said he was 27 years old, and the victim’s profile said she was 18 years old.

The victim and Rojas-Cervantes agreed to meet in October 2018, and the victim reported that Rojas-Cervantes kidnapped and sexually assaulted her. In an interview with police, Rojas-Cervantes denied sexually assaulting her at first, but later admitted to some sex acts.

All three charges are violent felonies and considered strikes under California’s three strikes law. Rojas-Cervantes will be required to register as a sex offender for life, and he was ordered not to have any contact with the victim for ten years.

The DA’s office said Rojas-Cervantes previously admitted his guilt in May 2019.