Colusa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Thompson found prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to charge a previously-convicted child molestor with arranging to meet a minor for sexual purposes.
Thompson determined, however, there was enough evidence presented at a preliminary hearing on Monday that Peter William Sweet, 62, of Arbuckle, engaged in lewd conduct with a minor.
Sweet was accused of conversing with a young girl in a sexually suggestive way when she and other children were playing near the property line where he lives.
There was no alleged physical contact, but Deputy District Attorney Bradley Morrow said Sweets behavior was motivated by an unusual and abnormal sexual interest in children.
In 1989, Sweet was convicted by a jury, at the age of 31, of oral copulation and lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. He was sentenced to two concurrent six-year terms in state prison, but was released on parole in 1992.
According to court records, Sweet has had a number of run-ins with the law since his child molestation conviction, including multiple DUIs. He has also been convicted over the years of violating probation, failing to register as a sex offender, and failing to pay fines.
In 2018, Sweet was arrested for assaulting another man with an unopened can of beer, while drunk. The assault charge was later dismissed when Sweet pleaded no contest to disobeying a court order not to drink alcohol, court records indicate.
Although the most recent incident occurred in Arbuckle, Williams Detective Leticia Reusser, testified Monday that following a Colusa County Sheriffs Deputys investigation and report on the April 16 incident, she conducted a multi-disciplinary interview with the child, who gave a similar account of Sweet talking to her, giving her a popsicle, candy, and Oreos, and asking her to move her clothing in such a way as to possibly expose herself to him.
Under cross examination by Sweets attorney, Yuri Hill, Detective Reusser confirmed that another girl was standing directly behind the alleged victim.
While the girl said she heard Sweet ask her friend about an injury on her leg and bandage on her knee, she told Reusser she did not hear Sweet make a suggestion about the clothing. The second child did report her friend got scared, started to cry, and ran away after the exchange.
Thompson said given Sweets previous conviction, there was sufficient evidence at a preliminary stage for a lewd conduct charge.
Sweet will be arraigned on Sept. 8. –