Tulare County Jury Convicts Man of Child Molestation

By Bill McEwen, News Director

Published 4 years ago on

May 6, 2021

A Tulare County jury convicted Yovani Martinez, 33, of molesting a young girl multiple times over five years and possessing child pornography on Wednesday.

In all, the jury in a Visalia courtroom found Martinez, a Tulare resident, guilty on 10 felony counts.

The jury also found true the special allegation of substantial sexual conduct, Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward said in a news release.

The crimes occurred between January 1, 2012, and February 10, 2017, against the girl, who was less than 8 years old at the time the sexual assaults began.

Maximum Sentence: Nearly 50 Years

Martinez faces a maximum sentence of nearly 50 years in prison. He must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

His sentencing is set for June 23 back in Department 6 of the Visalia court.

Deputy District Attorney Chelsea Wayt prosecuted and Tulare Police Corp. Cynthia Vasquez investigated the case.

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Bill McEwen,

News Director

Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email