SIMI VALLEY : Molestation Suspect to Stand Trial

A three-time convicted robber was ordered to stand trial on 10 felony counts of child molestation after a detective told a judge that the Simi Valley man has had sex with a 13-year-old girl on a weekly basis for two months.

Authorities said Henry A. Diaz, 40, will be the first person charged in Ventura County under the state’s new “three strikes and you’re out” law.

The law, enacted five days before Diaz’s arrest March 22, mandates a sentence of 25 years to life for anyone convicted of a felony with at least two prior serious felonies.

The three-strikes allegation will be filed against Diaz on May 26, the date of the defendant’s arraignment, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrice A. Koenig. Diaz’s robbery convictions were in 1978, 1982 and 1986, Koenig said.

Simi Valley Detective Gary Galloway testified Thursday at a preliminary hearing that Diaz had sex with the girl at least once a week from shortly after Jan. 17 until his arrest.

Police discovered the girl leaving Diaz’s room while conducting an early morning raid for drugs at the Sitka Avenue home shared by the defendant, the girl, her mother and at least two other people, Koenig said.

The girl was later interviewed by Galloway, a child-abuse investigator. She told of her sexual encounters with Diaz, Galloway testified. Diaz also admitted the affair, the detective said.

The girl’s mother told authorities she suspected that Diaz was molesting her daughter but did not report her suspicions because the girl denied sexual involvement with the defendant, authorities said.

Deputy Public Defender Neil B. Quinn has said that Diaz is considering pleading guilty. The girl is now in a foster home, Koenig said.