King City man sentenced to prison for attempted extortion through cyberbullying
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A King City man has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after pleading no contest to attempted extortion. Investigators said he did it in the context of domestic violence cyberbullying.
In May 2019, investigators said the victim broke up with the suspect, 30-year-old Jesus Lopez, Jr., apparently because of his meth use. The victim said she did not want contact with him, but he called her multiple times. She said she blocked his phone number, but the harassment continued.
Investigators said Lopez tried to get the victim fired by calling her boss to accuse her of theft and drug use, and when that did not work, he began harassing her in other ways.
On May 4, Lopez reportedly called the victim 17 times and texted her 21 times. When she did not respond, he reportedly called her 96 times and texted her 35 times.
When she did not respond the second day, investigators said Lopez sent the victim threatening Facebook messages that included an intimate photo of her with a threat that he would post it unless she paid him $100.
The victim told the Monterey County District Attorney's Office that Lopez had previously kidnapped her at gunpoint, threatened her with a knife, slashed her vehicle's tires, sprayed her bedroom with pepper spray and physically assaulted her during their relationship. Most of those incidents happened outside the statute of limitations.
"We learned fairly late in the game that there had been extensive prior domestic violence. It involved weapons, guns, knives, threats to her family and her children," said Monterey County District Attorney's Office Felony Prosecutor, Robin Duffy.
Similar testimonies from victims of domestic violence are heard every day by the YWCA in Monterey County. Over the past four months, staff at the YWCA said they have helped 99 men and women in domestic situations.
"We know that through the cycle of violence, a victim will most likely go through that cycle eight to ten times before they realize they're a victim. A victim sometimes comes, and sometimes goes back. If they come back, they know we will accept them with open arms," said YWCA Policy and Prevention Specialist, Naudia Velarde.
The YWCA provides support for victims through every step of breaking free from an abusive relationship. On top of legal advocacy and counseling services, the center provides a confidential place for victims to live until they feel safe.
Victims can call the YWCA crisis hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 831-372-6300 or 831-757-1001.
Lopez's sentence was doubled because he already had a strike conviction under California's Three Strikes Law for assault with a firearm. It is his fifth felony conviction and third prison sentence.
