Jury Finds Man Guilty of Lewd Act Upon a Child
Author: District Attorney
Date: 2/3/2020 5:08 PM
After a week-long jury trial, a San Luis Obispo County jury found Jay Vee Batul Estoque (29) guilty of committing a lewd act upon a child under the age of fourteen and found true the special allegation that the defendant engaged in substantial sexual conduct during the assault.
District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that a San Luis Obispo County jury found Santa Maria resident Jay Vee Batul Estoque (DOB 01/16/1991) guilty of committing a lewd act upon a child under the age of fourteen. The conviction was the result of Estoque’s acts of sexual assault perpetrated on the victim between January 2011 and December 2012, within the city of Grover Beach. The crime occurred when Estoque was 20 years old and the victim was 11 years old. The jury deadlocked on two additional counts of lewd act upon a child under the age of fourteen for acts alleged against the same child victim during the same time period. The crimes were not reported to the Grover Beach Police Department until March of 2018, when the victim was 17 years old.
“We thank the jury for their efforts in this sensitive and emotional case,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “This young survivor demonstrated tremendous courage by reporting the crime after its effects were truly realized. We are optimistic that this conviction will encourage victims of sexual assault to report the conduct to law enforcement, even when substantial time has passed since the event. We stand ready to prosecute these deplorable crimes on behalf our community and to bring about justice for victims of child sexual abuse.”
After reading the verdicts, the court ordered the defendant to be remanded into custody at the San Luis Obispo County Jail. Sentencing is scheduled for March 4, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 1 of the San Luis Obispo Superior Court, the Honorable Judge Jacquelyn Duffy presiding. Estoque faces a maximum term of eight years in state prison for his conviction. A hearing is set for Wednesday February 5, 2020 for a determination of whether the counts on which the jury was unable to reach a verdict will be retried.
The case was investigated by the Grover Beach Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Julie Antos.
A copy of the charging document can be found here. A copy of the defendants booking photo can be found here.
Please contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at 805.781.5819 with any questions.
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