VENTURA : Molester Gets 1-Year in Jail and Probation

A Ventura man was sentenced Thursday to a year in jail and five years probation for molesting a 9-year-old girl for more than a year.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch said Rupert Barron, 35, was a good candidate for probation despite a prosecutor’s request that Barron be sentenced to state prison.

Barron “appears to be amenable to rehabilitation,” Storch said.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrice D. Koenig argued that Barron should receive a state prison term because he pleaded guilty to nine counts of child molestation.

“The victim was abused over a long period of time and she has stated she never wants to see the defendant again,” Koenig said.

Deputy Public Defender Gary Windom told Storch that his client “meets all the requirements for probation.”

Under terms of the five-year probation sentence, Barron must register as a sex offender, participate in psychiatric counseling, and keep away from the victim and other children under the age of 18.