Mt. Baldy man convicted of sexually abusing girl, 12

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A jury found a Mt. Baldy man guilty today of sexually abusing his girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter, a prosecutor said.

The jury deliberated for about three and a half hours in West Valley Superior Court before finding Gabriel Jimenez Garcia guilty of 12 counts aggravated sexual assault on a child under 14, said Deputy District Attorney Karen Schmauss.

Prosecutors accused Garcia, a former cook at the Mt. Baldy Lodge, of molesting the girl every two weeks and raping her every month for a yearlong period in 2007 to 2008.

Garcia, 41, sexually abused the girl when he visited the Montclair home where she lived with her mother, who was Garcia's girlfriend, Schmauss said.

Each count of sexual assault carries a prison sentence of 15 years to life, meaning Garcia could receive 180 years to life when sentenced, now scheduled for March 23, Schmauss said.

Garcia's brother, Eduardo Solano Jimenez, has also been charged with sexually abusing the girl, but he moved to Mexico before the allegations were made and has not been found, Schmauss said.

During the monthlong trial, Schmauss said she called the victim to testify, as well as the girl's mother and cousin, a nurse and doctor who examined the victim, and an expert on children who are sexually abused.

Schmauss said the girl was initially afraid to come forward because she was afraid she wouldn't be believed, and she feared her mother would be upset at her because the family relied on Garcia for financial support.

"She was scared," Schmauss said. "She thought her mom would be mad."

Defense witnesses included three Montclair police officers and two expert witnesses, as well as the owner of the Mt. Baldy Lodge and a regular patron at the restaurant, both of whom said Garcia did not display sexually deviant behavior, Schmauss said.

Garcia did not testify, Schmauss said.