Santa Maria man charged with 13 felonies in sex abuse, child porn case pleads not guilty

A Santa Maria man pleaded not guilty Thursday to 13 felony counts of sexual abuse and child pornography charges filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

Joel McClain, 30, was arraigned on the charges stemming from a case that Santa Maria police detectives investigated over several months.

The investigation began in June and led to a search warrant at the man’s residence within the city, police said.

Multiple follow-up search warrants were served in the following months.

During the investigation, detectives were able to identify a possible child sexual abuse victim, leading to a warrant for the man’s arrest.

McClain has been charged with one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, 11 counts of illegal distribution of material depicting sexual conduct with a child under the age 18, and one count of possessing child pornography.

The complaint alleged that the continuous sexual abuse occurred between Nov. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2018, involving a girl under 14 years old.

McClain was ordered to return to court Jan. 14 when the judge and attorneys — deputy district attorney Lara Clinton and defense attorney Patrick Fisher — may set a date for the preliminary hearing.

During the arraignment hearing, McClain’s attorney had sought a reduction in bail, a request that was denied.

McClain, who listed his occupation as nuclear security, was not listed in Santa Barbara County Jail custody as of midday Friday, according to jail records.