Opening statements expected in child sex assault case
Prosecution may call first witness Monday
Jury selection appeared to be nearly complete Friday afternoon and attorneys’ opening statements are expected to begin Monday in a jury trial for a 58-year-old Solano man charged with multiple counts of sex assaults on a child under 14.
Johnny Bo Carabajal sat quietly at the defense table during proceedings in Department 9, Judge Carlos R. Gutierrez’s courtroom in the Justice Center in Fairfield.
Deputy District Attorney Elaine Kuo and Fairfield criminal defense attorney Thomas Maas took turns questioning prospective jurors and, by 2:30 p.m., a panel of 12 was sworn in, with a group of prospective alternate jurors facing questioning on Day 2 of the trial.
The trial, which resumes at 10 a.m. Monday, comes after a mid-June preliminary hearing.
The Solano County District Attorney’s Office filed its complaint against Carabajal on Feb. 11 last year. He was later arrested by Solano County Sheriff’s deputies in Dixon on an outstanding felony warrant citing the various allegations. The arrest came after an eightmonth investigation.
Carabajal, an ex-felon, was booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of using force to commit lewd and lascivious acts upon a child younger than 14; attempted lewd and lascivious acts upon a child younger than 14; and three counts of having contact with a minor with the intent to commit a felony sexual offense.
More detailed court records indicated that Carabajal faces two counts of lewd acts that allegedly occurred between 2008 and 2011 and three counts of “luring” two minors between 2016 and 2017, with intent to commit a sexual act with them.
Court documents also revealed that Carabajal, who has recently suffered from serious medical problems while in jail custody, was found guilty of several misdemeanors and felonies dating back to March 18, 1991. They include assault with a deadly weapon, violation of a domestic violence court order, and vandalism.
On Nov. 13, Maas introduced a motion to reduce his client’s bail from $235,000. Two days later, Gutierrez denied the motion.
If convicted of all the charges at trial, Carabajal may face as much as 40 years in state prison, with, perhaps, more times because of prior felonies.