Man Arraigned on 13 Molestation, Harassment Counts : Hearing: Sheriff’s detectives are trying to determine if Dana Point suspect is linked to similar crimes last year in Culver City. Free on $100,000 bail, he pleads not guilty.
Claiming his innocence, Thomas Cimino was arraigned Tuesday on 13 counts of child molestation and harassment while Orange County sheriff’s detectives were trying to determine whether he is linked to similar incidents in Culver City.
The San Juan Capistrano man, who is free on $100,000 bail, pleaded not guilty to the charges in South County Municipal Court and will face a preliminary hearing on July 21. He is accused of terrorizing a Dana Point neighborhood over four months.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. July 9, 1994 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday July 9, 1994 Orange County Edition Metro Part B Page 3 Column 5 Metro Desk 2 inches; 38 words Type of Material: Correction
Molestation Case--A June 29 article on the arraignment of child molestation suspect Thomas Cimino misidentified the person who described items obtained in a search of Cimino’s home. The information was provided by an Orange County sheriff’s deputy, not a prosecutor.
Sheriff’s investigators will meet with Culver City detectives later this week and jointly interview child victims in two cases of indecent exposure reported there in 1993.
The Culver City reports caught Orange County investigators’ attention because of their similarity to the eight incidents in Dana Point allegedly involving Cimino.
In the Dana Point cases, children were lured by a man who asked them to help find a lost kitten, then exposed himself to them. One case involved physical contact.
In the Culver City reports, victims described a man that fit Cimino’s general description with a rash on his face. Authorities also said Cimino was living in the South Bay area of Los Angeles when the 1993 crimes were committed.
Sgt. Ken Wheat of Culver City’s sex crimes division confirmed Tuesday that Orange County officers are interested in the cases in his jurisdiction.
“We had thought we had someone else ID’d (for the Culver City indecent exposures),” Wheat said, “but it could be someone else who is responsible.”
Surrounded by relatives and friends in court Tuesday, Cimino left the talking to Santa Ana attorney Paul Wallin.
The attorney assailed a composite drawing used by authorities to identify Cimino, saying it bore no resemblance to his client.
“I think this was a totally irrelevant composite,” Wallin said.
He also asserted that the Orange County district attorney’s office filed an excessive number of charges against Cimino, including for one incident in which a man allegedly asked for help finding a kitten, then ran away before the child could respond.
The prosecutor, Deputy Dist. Atty. Claudia Silbar, said later, “We feel we have more than enough evidence to substantiate our charges.”
She said more important than the composite drawing was the identification of Cimino by most of the 10 children in the Dana Point incidents.
Another deputy district attorney who asked not to be named said Tuesday that a search of Cimino’s home yielded “items of clothing with identifiable characteristics” described by some of the victims.
Included was a sweat shirt and aviator-style sunglasses mentioned by victims, all between ages 6 and 10, the deputy district attorney said.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
