A man with prior convictions relating to sex abuse crimes was sentenced today to 34 years in prison for child sexual assault.
A Sacramento County Superior Court jury last month convicted Phil Douglas Reese, 47, of five counts of child sexual assault, including the allegation that he used force and duress to commit the crimes, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. He was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley.
Authorities said Reese was considered a good friend of the victim's family. The molestation began in 2002-03, when the girl was in first grade, and continued through her seventh-grade year.
About the time he began to molest the victim, Reese was arrested and convicted during an online sexual predator sting conducted by the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force operating out of Turlock. This sting operation was part of a larger Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force designed to help law enforcement agencies combat Internet crimes such as child enticement and child pornography.
Reese contacted an online undercover detective who had assumed the role of a 13-year-old girl and quickly engaged the decoy in sexual discussions, officials said. Reese was arrested when he arrived at a prearranged location to engage in sexual intercourse with the child.
Reese has two other felony convictions involving or relating to child sexual crimes, according to the news release. In 2008, he was convicted for failing to register as a sex offender in Riverside County. In 2010, he was convicted for possessing child pornography in Yolo County.
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