Pictured Above: Daniel Vlas Flores. Source: Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

This week, Daniel Vlas Flores was convicted of kidnapping a child for the purpose of sexual assault and three counts of child molestation. These convictions stem from an incident in 2009 after Flores walked up to a group of children playing in an apartment courtyard. Flores asked the children to assist him in moving some furniture and then took the hand of a 7-year-old mentally disabled girl and led her into his apartment. After the young girl did not return, one of the other children went to Flores’ apartments and interrupted the assault. Flores was arrested, charged and then convicted of kidnapping and child molestation. He now faces life in prison resulting from the incident.

Kidnapping is the crime of moving a person, without their consent, by force or fear. Defenses to kidnapping include consent to being moved, insufficient movement, or having the right to move the child. In this case, Flores kidnapped the child by force for the purposes of sexually assaulting her. Being convicted of committing a sexual assault on a minor requires you to register as a sex offender and subjects you to fines, classes, and prison time. Therefore, if you are charged with sexual assault, child molestation, or kidnapping, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you in fighting your charges or reducing your sentence.

sex crimes Orange County criminal attorney Ronald Brower