Man Gets 26-Year Term in Teen-Age Sex Case

An Anaheim man who was facing up to 113 years in prison on sex charges pleaded guilty Friday to all 107 counts in exchange for a 26-year prison sentence.

Dennis S. Hirt, 34, was accused of having sex with two teen-age girls he promised to make rich in pornographic movies, a cult follower who was convinced he was a channel for dead spirits, and his stepdaughter.

The stepdaughter was 13 when the first of the acts occurred, the cult follower was 15, and the other two were 16 and 17.

The 107 counts included sodomy, oral copulation, forced sex, fraud and conspiracy. A co-defendant, 19-year-old Timothy Byrd of Anaheim, had already pleaded guilty to helping procure the oldest girl for Hirt and having sex with her. He was placed on probation.

Police searched Hirt’s house last year after the stepdaughter’s mother filed a complaint. Police said they found videotaped evidence of him engaged in sex with other young girls.

Hirt, who lived on a disability pension because of a bad back, allegedly spent much of his time at the beach trying to persuade young women to have sex with him.

“He told (the two girls seen in the videotape) that he could make them millions as porno queens, but first they had to give him a private screen test,” prosecutor Harper said. “These are poor girls; they fell for it.”

With the 15-year-old cult follower, Harper said, it was a matter of playing on her weakness.

“He convinced her that the dead spirits wanted her to have sex with him,” Harper said.

Tandy Jackson of San Francisco, the father of the girl whose mother married Hirt, said he is not happy with the plea agreement because it won’t keep Hirt behind bars long enough.

“If he’s ever free, I tell you, I’ll just waste him; that’s how angry I am,” Jackson said. “My daughter is just destroyed by this. She will never trust anyone again.”

Prosecutor Harper said she could understand the father’s concern, but that if a sentence is reasonable--26 years is a stronger sentence than the standard for first-degree murder, which is 25 to life--it’s better to accept a guilty plea so the victims will not have to go through a trial.

The sentence was formally issued Friday by Superior Court Judge Donald A. McCartin.