Jesus Zavala Castaneda, Oxnard,CA

Case #: 2020016395

On March 24, 2023, a Ventura County jury convicted Jesus Zavala Castaneda
(DOB 05/24/60), of Oxnard, on two counts of lewd touching of a minor under 14 years old. The jury also found all aggravating factors related to each count to be true. Castaneda sexually exploited an underage family member between 2018 and 2019. The conduct stopped in June 2019 when the 13-year-old victim reported the abuse. Following a two-week trial that included courageous testimony from the victim, her peers, her mother, as well as a senior detective, teacher, and expert on child abuse, a jury convicted Castaneda of two felony violations. “I was struck by the courage of the victim and the strength of her mother,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Edward Andrews, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Sexual Assault Unit. “For adolescents reporting sexual abuse, good parental support is the most vital tool for navigating the shame and blame an offender can leave behind.” Castaneda will be sentenced on April 24, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 46 of the Ventura County Superior Court.