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Sentencing delayed for Nevada County sex offender

Liz Kellar
lkellar@theunion.com

Sentencing was delayed Friday, Oct. 27, for a South County man convicted of rape and child molestation after he retained a new attorney.

Guadalupe Santa Maria, 43, was convicted on two felony rape charges and one count of having lewd and lascivious acts with a child. Jurors also convicted him of battery, sexual battery and annoying/molesting a child, all misdemeanors.

Santa Maria faces around 25 years in prison, if all his sentences are consecutive.



He was set to be sentenced Friday in Nevada County Superior Court, but has retained a private attorney, Jesse Ortiz.

Ortiz told Judge Candace Heidelberger he was not prepared to proceed and said he wants to read the trial transcript.



Heidelberger noted some issues with the pre-sentence report, including whether his conviction constituted a first-strike offense; she added that probation could possibly be granted and ordered a “288.1 report,” a mental health evaluation to determine if he qualifies for probation as a sex offender.

Sentencing was re-scheduled for Dec. 8.

Santa Maria molested a preteen girl around 2012 and a teen in 2013. The battery charge stems from a third, adult victim near the end of 2013, while the rape charges relate to a fourth victim.


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