Rapist gets 325 years in prison for Calaveras County case
A previously convicted child molester received a 325-year prison sentence last week from a visiting judge in Calaveras County Superior Court for repeatedly raping and threatening to kill an underage victim whom he initially targeted through Facebook, the Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.
Jessie Taylor White, 26, was sentenced Aug. 2 by Santa Clara County Judge Linda Clark following a twoweek trial that concluded on June 13 when a jury found him guilty of 16 felonies including rape, witness intimidation and contacting a minor over the internet for the purposes of sexual abuse.
“We are grateful to this survivor for so bravely standing up to White for what he did,” District Attorney Barbara Yook stated in the news release. “We are also grateful to the jury for their time and attention and for ultimately holding White accountable for his crimes.”
The news release said the jury heard testimony from more than 15 witnesses at White’s trial before convicting him of four counts of rape, two counts of sodomy, three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, three counts of contacting a minor over the internet for the purpose of sexual abuse, one count of mayhem, one count of criminal threats, one count of witness intimidation and one count of false imprisonment.
White previously had been convicted of child molestation in 2013, for which he was on parole at the time he committed his latest crimes, the news release said.
Calaveras County Jail records showed White was arrested by parole agents on Feb. 16 at a lodging establishment in Jackson. His most recent address was listed as being on the 13600 block of Shakeridge Road in Sutter Creek.
The news release about White’s sentencing stated he began communicating with the Calaveras County victim on Facebook in the spring of last year. He reportedly manipulated the victim, who was a minor at the time, into sending him illicit photos and meeting in person for the purposes of sexual abuse.
“White repeatedly used social media to lure in his prey, and our investigation revealed that he only got smarter in covering his tracks over time,” Yook stated in the news release.
By January of this year, White “had forcibly raped and sodomized the survivor multiple times and used a knife to cut the survivor’s hair and face, resulting in a scar,” the new release said.
White reportedly threatened to kill the victim and the victim’s family if law enforcement was called, even saying he had already paid a hit man $2,000, which resulted in the victim keeping his crimes a secret out of fear until February.
The victim’s family immediately contacted the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office in February upon learning of White’s crimes, the news release said. The agency arranged for the victim to be interviewed at the Calaveras Children’s Advocacy Center in Valley Springs by a trained sexual assault forensic examiner.
“This young survivor is nothing short of heroic — to endure such horrific abuses, to suffer in silence in order to protect family members, and then to testify in open court in front of a group of strangers — demonstrates an inner strength that is truly inspirational,” Calaveras County Deputy District Attorney Stacy Tyler, who prosecuted the case, stated in the news release. “I am incredibly proud of the fortitude and courage of this survivor — and of the others who came forward to tell the jury of what they endured at the hands of defendant White.”
White will be transported to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to begin serving his sentence, the news release said.
The case was investigated by the Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office with assistance from California State Parole, the Amador County District Attorney’s Office, and the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office.