A Porterville man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for multiple sex crimes involving a child, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said in a Thursday statement.

Erwin McDarment, 37, was sentenced after pleading no contest in December 2025 to charges in two separate cases. He was also sentenced on additional felony charges.

In one case, investigators with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office began probing allegations in September 2018 after a then-14-year-old victim reported years of sexual abuse by McDarment that began when she was 7 years old. Prosecutors said McDarment pleaded no contest to one felony count of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and one felony count of forcible rape of a child 14 years old or younger.

Both offenses are considered strike offenses under California law. McDarment was released on $400,000 bail in May 2020.

In a second case, Porterville police officers responded to a reported domestic violence incident in May 2024. Authorities said McDarment fled the scene and led officers on a vehicle pursuit, failing to yield, cutting off other drivers, speeding and running multiple stop signs and traffic signals before reaching the Tule River Reservation, where officers were unable to locate him.

McDarment turned himself in the following day and later posted $1 million bail in June 2025. He pleaded no contest to felony evading and misdemeanor domestic violence in that case.

Under current California sentencing laws, McDarment must serve at least 25 years in prison before being eligible for parole and is required to register as a sex offender for life, prosecutors said.

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