(KMJ) – A 65-year-old child predator is denied parole in his first hearing.
On October 28, prosecutors secured a 5-year denial of parole for Salvador Lopez of Porterville
He’s currently serving a life sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione for crimes against children between 1999 and 2001.
District Attorney Tim Ward says Lopez sexually assaulted two girls, aged 11 to 13 and 6 to 8.
In 2004, a Tulare County jury convicted him of 15 felony counts of child molestation along with special allegations that the crimes used force, encompassed multiple victims, and was of substantial conduct.
Lopez was sentenced to 190 years to life in prison.
Current California provisions concerning elder parole
allowed for this inmate to be considered for parole.
In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 3234, a bill by the legislature that modified the penal code to lower the age of elder parole qualification to those aged 50 or older who have served 20 years or more of continuous incarceration.
“It’s shameful that the Governor and the state legislature will not exclude child predators from the list of eligible inmates considered for elder parole,” said District Attorney Tim Ward. “Once again, victims now must endure hearing after hearing instead of having the peace of mind that this predator will never leave prison. We must have truth in sentencing.”
This was Lopez’s first parole hearing.
Commissioners noted that Lopez refused to attend or participate in rehabilitative programming and posed an unreasonable danger if released.
A deputy district attorney argued against the inmate’s release in this case.
