Fred Raymond Knight, Jr. sentenced to 28 years to life in state prison for sexual abuse of a child under the age of 10

Author: District Attorney
Date: 1/18/2022 5:14 PM

District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that Fred Raymond Knight, Jr. (46) has been sentenced to 28 years to life in state prison and ordered to register as a sex offender for life for his conviction of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 10.

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District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that Fred Knight (46) of Atascadero has been sentenced to 28 years to life in state prison and ordered to register as a sex offender for life based on his felony conviction of committing lewd acts and sodomy on a child under the age of 10.  The predatory crime took place in the City of Atascadero on August 20, 2018.   The survivor was six years old at the time.  Knight was convicted in 2011 of committing a lewd act on a child in a separate case and was sentenced at that time to serve three years in state prison.   

“Whenever a sexual predator abuses a child, he is responsible for inflicting unimaginable and lasting harm on the victim,” said District Attorney Dan Dow.  “Sexual predators must be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible under the law to reflect the longstanding pain and suffering their acts inflict on innocent children and to deter others from committing similar horrible crimes.  We commend the courage this very young survivor displayed by reporting the abuse and of the family in patiently working through the legal process necessary to hold this predator accountable.”

On November 16, 2021, Knight pleaded no contest to the charges.  San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Jesse Marino found Knight guilty based on his no contest plea and today imposed the 28 year to life sentence.  A no contest plea is treated the same as a plea of guilty for the purpose of determining guilt in a criminal prosecution.  Due to constant changes to California criminal law by the Legislature and by the initiative process, it is impossible to predict how much of the 28 years the defendant will serve in prison before being eligible for parole.

At today’s sentencing, the young survivor’s mother provided the court with an impassioned written description of the staggering impact of the crime, which was read into the record by Deputy District Attorney Danielle Baker.    

The case was investigated by the Atascadero Police Department with the assistance of the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Danielle Baker.

A copy of the charging document can be found here and a copy of the defendant’s 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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