Jury finds South Lake Tahoe man guilty of multiple counts of child molestation

A South Lake Tahoe man has been found guilty on four counts of felony child molestation which included one count of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child under 14, two counts of Lewd and Lascivious Acts upon a Child under 14, and one count of Forcible Lewd Act upon a Child under 14.

John Robert Garcia, 45, was arrested in April 2019 after a five-month-long investigation by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and El Dorado County District Attorney's Office.

On December 13, 2018, SLTPD officers made contact with a minor who reported molestation on numerous occasions by an individual who was once a close family friend.

The ensuing investigation revealed that John Garcia had molested the minor on a regular basis over the course of several years, having once been best friends with the minor’s father, allowing him to spend a considerable amount of time at the minor’s home.

On April 18, 2019, Garcia was arrested and charged with four counts of felony child molestation that he was found guilty of. A jury trial began on December 5, 2019, in Judge Dylan Sullivan's courtroom and the jurors found Garcia guilty on all four counts.

Garcia is currently in the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe awaiting his sentencing which is scheduled for April 24, 2020.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Jesse Wilson of the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office and investigated by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department and Investigators with the District Attorney’s Office. Detective Justin Brock of the SLTPD was the lead investigator.

These types of investigations take a long time due to the sensitive nature and special rules that must be followed with minors. If the child is still at risk, the case moves quicker, but if the child is safe, law enforcement does a more thorough investigation to ensure a case that can be successfully tried in court.

Once a person is arrested the required paperwork and documents are needed in court to ensure a person's right to a speedy trial.

In 2019 there were 28 cases of sexual assault with minors involved in South Lake Tahoe. Detective Brock is assigned all of these types of cases due to his special training (each SLTPD detective has an area of expertise and specialized training).
At this time he has 12 current cases.

Besides these cases, SLTPD also investigates every report filed by teachers, agencies and other mandated reporters.