Medrano pleads not guilty to sex charges

COURTS: The former Gardena city councilman is charged with committing lewd acts on a young girl.

By Denise Nix, Staff Writer

Article Launched: 03/17/2008 11:44:13 PM PDT

Former Gardena City Councilman Oscar Medrano pleaded not guilty Monday to 12 charges of committing lewd and lascivious acts on a young girl.

Medrano's attorney, in arguing for a bail reduction, said the allegations against his client came from a "young person he cared for who did not get her way."

Gary Eto said the alleged victim, identified only as a relative, was "lashing out" against the 47-year-old married father of five.

Eto argued to Torrance Superior Court Judge William Beverly that Medrano's close ties to the community - including cousin Ed Medrano, Gardena's police chief - shows he's not a flight risk.
"He's not going anywhere," Eto said. "He doesn't even have a passport." Eto added

Former Gardena City Councilman Oscar Medrano listens to arraignment proceedings in Torrance Superior Court on Monday. (Brad Graverson/Staff Photographer )that Medrano's back problems, which have kept Medrano in the county jail's medical ward, would be better treated if he were allowed to remain under house arrest.

But Deputy District Attorney Beatriz Dieringer said the $960,000 bail was standard for the charges. She added that the case was filed "conservatively."

Dieringer noted that Medrano recently made plans to move out of the county by selling his home and business, Osmar Jewelry, in downtown Gardena.

"He does represent a flight risk," Dieringer said.

The judge refused to lower the bail and ordered Medrano to return to court April 1 for a preliminary hearing.

At least a dozen family members and friends somberly watched the short hearing. One
woman appeared to be crying, and she was consoled by others.

Medrano was arrested Thursday, two days after he resigned his post on the council. Medrano, who had been in office five years, said pain from his medical condition forced him to leave during his second term.

In charges filed Friday, he is accused of forcing the female relative to engage in sexual acts beginning when she was 9 years old. The alleged abuse began in 1999 and continued for seven years.

He is charged with eight counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and three counts of committing a lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 years old.

If convicted, he faces 34 years in prison, Dieringer said.

A source close to the accuser has told the Daily Breeze that Medrano began by touching the girl, but escalated the acts to sex when she was 10. The source said he molested her weekly and that she tried to report him, but nobody believed her.

The family has declined to comment on the telephone and outside of court Monday.

However, Medrano's wife has alluded to the case on her MySpace page.

On Sunday, Patrice Medrano wrote: "I have been through the worst situations in my life, but when it comes to your children and being helpless, my heart aches.

"I have seen others face challenges in their lives with having their children taken away, now I face that challenge," she wrote. "I have always been here for my family to help encourage and uplift in any way I can.

"But never have I been under attack such as now," she writes on the page, which is full of biblical quotes and references to God.

12 felony counts filed against Medrano

By Larry Altman Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/15/2008 12:25:20 AM PDT

Prosecutors on Friday filed 12 felony counts against former Gardena City Councilman Oscar Medrano, charging he sexually abused a relative from the time she was in elementary school to high school.

For years, Medrano forced the girl to engage in sexual acts, it is alleged. It began with touching when she was about 8 years old, but escalated to sexual activity when she was 10, a source told the Daily Breeze.

"He manipulated her, and told her she wasn't good for anything else but sex - that nobody would ever love her, and therefore, he kept abusing her," said the source, who is familiar with the victim.

The alleged crimes occurred almost weekly, sometimes in the shower and in a motel, the source said.

Medrano, 47, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday at the Torrance courthouse. He remained in jail Friday after his bail was raised to $960,000.

Medrano faces eight counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and three counts of committing a lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 years old. The last count relates to an incident that allegedly occurred when she was 15 years old. The first nine counts also allege that the acts committed were of substantial sexual conduct, prosecutors said.

If convicted, Medrano could face 32 years in prison, and would be required to register as a sex offender upon his release, Deputy District Attorney Beatriz Dieringer said.
Sheriff's Department investigators have not released details of the abuse and declined to comment for this article.

The Daily Breeze knows the girl's name, her relationship to Medrano, and specifics about the alleged abuse, but is omitting information that can identify her.

In an interview, a source said the victim had tried for years to get someone to believe that Medrano sexually assaulted her.

Nobody listened until recently.

As late as a few months ago, the victim believed no one would trust her story because Medrano's cousin is Gardena Police Chief Ed Medrano and would take his side, the source said.

Detectives at the sheriff's Special Victims Bureau stepped in when someone reported the case to a police officer.

Medrano abruptly resigned from the Gardena City Council on Tuesday night, citing a bad back that made it difficult to sit or work. He was arrested two days later at his family's jewelry store in downtown Gardena.