Yorba Linda : Mayor Molested Him as Child, Stepson Testifies
The teen-age stepson of Yorba Linda Mayor Michael Beverage testified that his stepfather had first “touched” him when he was “5 or 6,” as testimony got under way Thursday in the sexual molestation trial against the 38-year-old man.
Beverage faces one of an original seven misdemeanor molestation counts, in which his stepson, now 18, alleges that the four-year councilman had engaged in sodomy with him in November of 1984.
“It happened quite a bit,” the teen said under questioning from Deputy Dist. Atty. Matt Valance.
In opening remarks, Beverage’s attorney, Jeffrey H. Friedman, said the teen-ager had fabricated the charges to get back at his stepfather, who refused to buy him a car and restricted him for poor grades.
The trial is scheduled to continue Monday. If found guilty, Beverage could face a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
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