Ex-Bellflower coach gets 28 years for sexually abusing teen girl
A former Bellflower High School girls’ track and basketball coach was sentenced Monday to 28 years in prison after his conviction for the “continuous sexual abuse” of a teenage girl.
Bryan E. Shepherd, 49, began molesting the girl when she was 13, prosecutors said. The abuse continued for five years.
Judge Peter Espinosa sentenced Shepherd after hearing statements from the victim, her boyfriend and her mother.
In February, Shepherd pleaded no contest to continuous sexual abuse and two felony counts of forcible lewd acts upon a child. The victim was a relative by marriage.
Shepherd entered the no contest plea at a pretrial hearing in a case in which he had originally faced 20 felony counts.
He has been in custody since December 2011, when he was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Unit.
Although Shepherd was a high school coach, none of the alleged sexual abuse took place at Bellflower High, authorities said.
ALSO:
Commuters brace for closing of Coldwater Canyon Avenue
No clear motive in slaying of East Hollywood man, police say
Lesbian cousin of Supreme Court’s chief justice to attend Prop. 8 hearing
Email: richard.winton@latimes.com
Twitter: @lacrimes
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.
