GLENDALE : Suspect, 88, Denies Sexual Battery Charge
An 88-year-old man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor sexual battery charge stemming from a confrontation with a 17-year-old girl at a bus bench in Glendale.
Luis Magin Hernandez of the Los Feliz area entered his plea during an arraignment before Glendale Municipal Court Commissioner Daniel Calabro, who set a pretrial conference for Dec. 15.
He was released on his own recognizance.
Hernandez was arrested Friday after two marshal’s deputies and an off-duty Glendale police sergeant noticed the suspect get off a bus at Los Feliz and Brand boulevards and approach the girl, according to a police report.
They then saw that Hernandez allegedly tried to kiss the victim on the cheek before she was sexually battered, the report said. The victim later told police that Hernandez had asked her if she was Cuban and said, “You’re a precious thing.”
After Tuesday’s arraignment, Hernandez’s attorney said his client, a widower who lives in a retirement home, was shocked about the arrest.
“Mr. Hernandez is of advanced age, and this does not seem to fit any actions in his past,” said Michael V. Severo. “It’s totally out of character. He obviously denies that it happened.”
If convicted, Hernandez could face up to six months in jail, prosecutors said.
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