COLUSA, CA (MPG) – Colusa County Superior Court Judge Luke Steidlmayer found there was sufficient evidence to charge a former Williams resident with the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, following a preliminary hearing on June 18.
The Colusa County District Attorney’s Office on Jan. 29, 2025, charged Jonathan Robert Crow, 48, of Rio Oso, with lewd and lascivious acts with a child he had access to when he lived in the unincorporated area near Williams about five years ago.
According to Colusa County Sheriff’s Detective Luis Ruiz, the child’s mother learned about the accusation on July 16, 2024, after she found a note on her pillow reportedly written by her child.
Ruiz said the mother immediately called law enforcement and turned the note over to him.
Lt. Sara Martin, of the Colusa Police Department, a former investigator with the Colusa County District Attorney’s Office, led a multi-disciplinary interview, a method in which various professionals can accurately determine if sexual abuse occurred, on July 18, 2024.
During the investigation, Ruiz said he learned the child had previously told an older sibling about the alleged abuse but did not feel comfortable at the time telling her mother.
Crow surrendered to the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 25, after a warrant for his arrest was issued. He was booked and released on his own recognizance, and has remained out of custody pending trial.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Brad Morrow, who is prosecuting the case, amended the initial leud and lascivious complaint to include a special allegation of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 after investigators said the alleged abuse, including inappropriate touching, albeit no “skin-to-skin” contact, occurred over a period greater than three months, when Crow lived in the Williams area.
Crow, through his private attorney, Gilbert B. Vega, has denied that he inappropriately touched the child for sexual gratification.
Vega also said nothing typically associated with a sexual attraction toward children, such as child pornography, was discovered in Crow’s possession during the investigation.
Steidlmayer said, for preliminary purposes, there was sufficient evidence for him to move the case forward.
Crow will be arraigned on the charges on Aug. 20. If found guilty, he could face three to 16 years in prison, according to the California penal code. He would also be required to register as a sex offender.