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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – At his sentencing earlier this week, a Clearlake man received a 16-year prison sentence for molesting a young girl over a seven-year period.
On Tuesday, Oct. 4, Richard Alan Headrick, 55, was sentenced by Judge Stephen Hedstrom to the maximum term of 16 years in state prison for one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, according to the Lake County District Attorney's Office.
Headrick had pleaded guilty to the charge on Sept. 7, the District Attorney's Office reported.
Because the charge is classified as a violent felony, Headrick will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. The District Attorney's Office said Headrick will be required to register as a sex offender, and will be subject to parole supervision for 20 years.
The investigation, by Clearlake Police Department Det. Tim Alvarado and Sgt. Tom Clements, disclosed that Headrick lived in a home which belonged to a relative of the minor victim, where she regularly stayed after school.
Headrick began sexually abusing the victim when she was 5 years old. The molestation continued for approximately seven years and ended only when the victim became old enough to stay at her own home after school, according to the investigation.
The victim did not disclose the abuse for approximately two years, which the District Attorney's Office said is common in such situations.
In late May, the girl told her mother that Headrick had molested her, and her mother immediately contacted the Clearlake Police Department. Shortly afterwards Headrick, who had been made aware of the investigation by family members, voluntarily came to the Clearlake Police Department and made a full confession to Sgt. Clements, officials reported.
In selecting the maximum term, Judge Hedstrom found that this case was aggravated by several circumstances, including the fact that the abuse continued regularly for seven years and included substantial sexual conduct; that the victim was particularly vulnerable because of her age at the time the molestation began; and that there had been significant emotional injury to the victim and her family.
Headrick was represented by Jacob Zamora. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ed Borg. District Attorney Investigator Denise Hinchcliff also participated in the investigation.
The victim and her family are receiving services through the Lake County District Attorney’s Victim-Witness division.
The District Attorney’s Office commended the courage of the victim in this case. By coming forward and disclosing the abuse she suffered, she made it possible for Headrick to be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law, officials said.
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