Salinas man sentenced to prison for sexual abuse of girlfriend’s daughter

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A Monterey County judge has sentenced a Salinas man to 16 years in prison after he pleaded no contest to a felony count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14.

According to the DA's Office, a 7-year-old girl went to a school nurse in December 2019 saying that her chest hurt. When the nurse checked her, she found multiple suction bruises on the victim's breasts. She initially did not want to say where the bruises came from, but eventually said that her mother's boyfriend, 30-year-old Octavio Francisco Flores, gave her the bruises with his mouth.

Police were notified, and during the investigation, the victim told police that Flores had been sexually abusing her for months, and some of the abuse involved "substantial sexual conduct," according to the DA's Office. She said during one of the incidences, Flores put "white pee" on her dress.

The DA's Office said the details the victim gave would not have been possible to memorize or learn from somebody else. She told investigators that she was scared to say anything because Flores told her that nobody would believe her.

When police interviewed Flores, the DA's Office said he denied being involved.

In addition to prison time, Flores will be required to register as a sex offender for life when he is released.