A Coronita senior who sexually assaulted two female relatives more than a decade ago was sentenced Friday to 15 years in state prison.
Abimael Hernandez Saldana, 70, pleaded guilty in January to three counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped two related felony counts against Saldana.
During a hearing Friday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Superior Court Judge Jason Armand certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
Saldana was arrested last May following a sheriff’s department investigation that authorities said was prompted by one of his family members.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Brandon Mullins, in early April 2023, deputies were contacted by law enforcement officials in Orange County, Florida, who had received information from a woman saying she had been sexually abused by Saldana as a child.
“The victim stated she had been sexually assaulted multiple times … while she slept,” Mullins said.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, along with the reporting party, another victim was identified. They were named only by their initials in court documents — “E.S.” and “A.G.”
The latter was abused in December 1996, and E.S. was assaulted between October 2012 and October 2013, prosecutors said.
All of the acts occurred at Saldana’s house in the 1900 block of Pine Crest Drive. The small unincorporated community of Coronita is largely encircled by the city of Corona but is under county jurisdiction.
Saldana had no documented prior felony convictions. According to state law, for the specified offenses, he must serve 85% of his sentence, or about 13 years, before he’s eligible for parole.