Cambria man sentenced for kidnapping, rape charges
Sentencing judge described the incident as ‘one of the most depraved acts the court has seen’
– San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced this week that Cambria resident Jesus Barajasvaldovinos, 33, has been sentenced to 28 years to life in state prison for his conviction of kidnap for rape, forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and forcible digital penetration all with the allegation that the victim was moved to a place that substantially increased the risk of harm. He is also required to register as a sex offender for life. The conviction came after Barajasvaldovinos entered a plea of guilty to all charges.
The crimes occurred in Cambria in the late afternoon of June 27, 2021. The survivor was walking along the Santa Rosa Creek Trail adjacent to Highway 1 when she was accosted, pulled off of the trail into a wooded area, and assaulted.
“The unthinkable violence committed against this woman warrants the maximum prison sentence,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “We applaud the remarkable courage of the survivor in reporting the crime and participating in the process that ultimately brought this sexual predator to justice.”
At the sentencing hearing, the survivor provided a powerful written statement to the court describing the impact of the assault on her personal well-being, noting the “anxiety, paranoia, and heavy emotional trauma,” caused by the crimes. The sentencing judge described the incident as one of the most depraved acts the court has seen and that a life sentence is justified.
The case was investigated by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Danielle Baker who is assigned to the District Attorney’s Sexual Violence and Child Abuse Unit.