OC man convicted of lewd acts w/ minor sentenced to 4 years in state prison

FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A Bell Gardens man was sentenced to four years and four months in state prison Friday for sexually assaulting his friend's 15-year-old daughter for 10 years.

Isidro Medrano Garcia, 42, was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life. A jury found him guilty on March 4 on three felony counts of lewd acts on a minor. He was found not guilty of kidnapping the girl to commit a sex crime.

During Garcia's trial, the now-26-year-old woman testified that Garcia began touching her inappropriately in her family home at age 14. When she wanted to tell her mother, he threatened to call immigration authorities.

She told authorities that Garcia had kidnapped her in 2004 and forced her to marry him and have his child.

But Garcia said the teen willingly ran away with him to escape an unhappy home. He said she fabricated the abduction story after reconnecting with her family on Facebook.

Neighbors and friends were shocked when Garcia was arrested and said he doted on his wife, loved his daughter and hosted frequent parties at the family's home in Bell Gardens.

During the trial, Garcia's defense attorney showed photos of the couple smiling at their wedding and daughter's birthday parties. He told jurors that Garcia worked hard at jobs as a janitor and machine operator to support his family and took them to Disneyland and Las Vegas.

Garcia acknowledged having an inappropriate sexual relationship during his trial.