Child Molestation Brings 1-Year Term
WESTMINSTER — A Costa Mesa truck driver pleaded guilty to six counts of child molestation Thursday and was sentenced to a year in Orange County Jail.
Superior Court Judge Luis A. Cardenas also ordered Arthur H. Gerhardt, 52, to attend a special treatment program and spend five years on probation, during which he is never to be in the presence of minor children unless accompanied by an adult and unless the visit is approved by his probation officer.
Gerhardt admitted to having molested three girls over a period of about 15 years, court records show. However, he was only charged with molesting one of them, who was about 5 years old when the abuse began.
Gerhardt could have been sentenced to a maximum of 23 years in prison. Deputy Dist. Atty. Mike Jacobs said he had pushed for a six-year term in return for a guilty plea.
Probation reports, however, noted that Gerhardt had sought counseling and stopped the molestation before he was reported to police and arrested.
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