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Joel Villarreal, 44, was found guilty after one hour of jury deliberations, prosecutors said in a release.
Authorities said Villarreal abused a victim "on numerous occasions" between 2018 and 2020, when she was between 7 and 9 years old. The assaults happened at two addresses in Lancaster while he was "n a position to care for the victim," the DA's Office said.
“(The victim) isn’t a trained actress,” said First Deputy District Attorney Cody Wade. “She’s not a professional witness. She’s a brave little girl who had the courage to get up on the stand and tell her story about the abuse suffered at the hands of this man.
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