VENTURA : Man Gets 10 Years for Raping Counselor

A 19-year-old Ventura man who pleaded guilty last month to raping a counselor who was trying to help him find a job was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in custody.

James Michael Martinez showed little emotion as Superior Court Judge Charles W. Campbell Jr. sentenced him to six years for the rape and another four years for using a knife.

Authorities said Martinez was a chronic drug user who was earning a paycheck and receiving praise from his boss at a retail warehouse after the 46-year-old counselor helped him find the temporary job.

But on June 6, Martinez raped the jobs counselor at knifepoint at her Camarillo home, tying her hands together with a curling iron cord and muffling her cries with a washcloth.

“The defendant told her ‘Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,’ ” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Bob Calvert, adding that any sentence less than 10 years would be an injustice.

But Deputy Public Defender Bryant Villagran said his client is remorseful. He blamed the incident on Martinez’s drug addiction. And the attorney said the judge should give Martinez credit for not using the knife to harm the victim. “It could have been a lot worse, and it wasn’t,” he said.

Because of his age, Martinez will be referred to the California Youth Authority to serve his time, Campbell ruled.