Yuba County Man Gets 20 Years to Life in Prison for Child Sex Abuse
Originally published 8-16-23 via Facebook
by the Yuba County District Attorney’s Office:
File photo of Yuba County Sheriff’s Dept. interview with Villa
“Judge Julia Scrogin sentenced Caleb Jushia Villa, age 30, today in Yuba County Superior Court to serve 20 years to life in state prison for sexually penetrating a 10-year-old child and forcing the child to touch his penis. IF Villa is ever released on parole, he will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
Deputy District Attorney Brad Morrow, funded by Measure K revenue, prosecuted the case on behalf of the People.
The molestation came to light on July 7, 2022, when deputies from the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call about a person discovering a video of Villa masturbating while watching the child victim sleeping. Deputies Kaialau and Trumm located multiple videos of Villa sexually abusing the child victim. Sergeant Andrew Thomas, along with Deputies Kaialau, Trumm, Clegg, and T. Johannes, worked swiftly to locate and arrest Villa, seizing his phone and other digital storage devices.
Yuba County Sheriff’s Detective Miles Lewis responded to assist with the investigation. Detective Lewis interviewed Villa, obtaining a confession. Detective Lewis also had the terrible responsibility of reviewing the videos for evidence after all of Villa’s devices were downloaded by Community Services Officer Kevin Hanson pursuant to a search warrant. Yuba County Deputy District Attorney Caitlin Smith, Investigator James Perin, and Investigative Assistant Ryleigh Schoemer helped interview the child victim.
“Yuba County Sheriff’s Detective Miles Lewis did an amazing job interviewing Villa and documenting the evidence to bring him to justice.” said Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry. “Cases like this are hard on the law enforcement professionals who handle them. I am so thankful to the men and women of law enforcement who confront evil in our community every day so that men like Villa can be locked up in prison where they can’t abuse children anymore.”
Please join us in thanking the deputies, prosecutors, and victim advocates who made this conviction possible.
Tips for Parents – it’s more about strange behavior than stranger danger. The reality is that most child sexual abuse survivors are victimized by someone they know and trust. It’s good to teach our children to be wary of strangers, but even more important that we teach them to be wary of strange behavior. What is normal and what is strange really depends on the age of the child. For young children, consider how to talk with them about what normal looks like for their pediatrician to do a medical exam, and for yourself and other caregivers to do diaper changes and help with bathing. Once your kids understand normal, you should teach them that it is not okay for anyone to touch their private parts outside of that normal. Teach them to say “no” to unsafe touches and to inform another trusted adult. Continue to update this conversation with your kids as they get older and more independent. Make sure your kids know the proper names for their anatomy and that they are comfortable using words like penis, vagina, etc. Finally, if you ever suspect that your child has been abused, please call law enforcement.”
