A Fresno man was sentenced to decades in prison after pleading guilty to two rapes and two sexual assaults on a child, crimes dating as far back as 1997.
Cesar Flores, 56, was originally charged with 22 crimes against seven victims. The charges included forcible rape, sodomy by force, kidnapping and committing a lewd act upon a child. He pleaded guilty on June 18 to four of the charges, and the Fresno County district attorney’s office dropped the remaining charges in the interests of sparing Flores’ victims the trauma of reliving their experiences in court, spokesperson Taylor Long said,
Flores’s prosecution was the outcome of a “years’-long” investigation helped by developments in DNA technology, the office said in a statement. The oldest crime he was convicted of, committing a forcible lewd act on a child, occurred between 1997 and 1999, according to court records. The most recent, forcible rape, occurred in 2021.
“Cold cases are never forgotten,” Fresno County Dist. Atty. Lisa Smittcamp said in a statement. “As forensic technology continues to evolve, our office remains committed to pursuing those who believe they have escaped accountability. No matter how much time has passed, we will continue seeking justice for victims and holding violent offenders responsible for their actions.”
Flores was sentenced to as long as the rest of his life. He will serve a minimum of 20 years, after which he will be eligible for an elderly parole hearing. A hearing does not guarantee release.
Fedor Zarkhin
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