Gardnerville man found guilty of felony child molestation and other charges

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 53-year-old Gardnerville resident was found guilty on September 22 of three counts of felony child molestation and one additional felony count of meeting with a minor for lewd purposes.

Robert Allen Oakes is scheduled to be sentenced on October 17, 2022, and is facing the possibility of 26 years to life in prison for his crimes. Judge Michael McLaughlin presided over the three-week trial in South Lake Tahoe.

Between 2009-2010, Oaks was the babysitter for the five-year-old granddaughter of his then-girlfriend. During this time, Oakes took advantage of this position of trust and repeatedly molested the young girl. Approximately ten years later, the girl came forward and disclosed the horrific acts that Oakes had committed against her.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) detectives posed as the minor female victim via text message in 2019. During the text conversations, Oakes started expressing his "abnormal and unnatural sexual interest in the high school-aged female," according to SLTPD at the time. Oakes requested to meet her on the bike path near South Tahoe High School with the intention of sexual intercourse.

On August 28, 2019, around 11:00 a.m., Oakes was arrested on the bike path along Lake Tahoe Boulevard near Viking Way by SLTPD detectives. Oakes was in possession of condoms, two pillows, and a tent in his car.

The investigation was led by SLTPD Detective Allen Molesworth, and the case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ryan Whyte.