San Miguel man convicted of child molestation faces life sentence

Following a two-week trial, a jury convicted a San Miguel man of 30 counts of sexual abuse committed against two boys who were younger than 14 when the abuse occurred.

The jury finding means that Jose Antonio Rojasbarriga, 60, will spend the rest of his life in state prison.

During the trial, which was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Julie Antos on behalf of the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office’s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse prosecution team, jurors heard testimony from the victims of abuse that occurred over nearly five years. The boys lived in the same neighborhood as Rojasbarriga.

The conviction comes after a mistrial was declared in his original trial in January, after one of the victims testified to additional criminal offenses that Rojasbarriga had not been charged with by prosecutors.

According to a District Attorney’s Office news release, Rojasbarriga faces 25 years to life on each count, for a total of 750 years to life in state prison, when he is sentenced May 6 in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 6:48 PM with the headline "San Miguel man convicted of child molestation faces life sentence."