A 28-year-old California man was sentenced to 135 years in prison last week after being found guilty of performing lewd acts and threatening multiple children under the age of six, according to authorities.
Adam Bendell was sentenced on May 20 following his trial in Placer County, just 60 miles north of Sacramento, in which the jury found him guilty “after considering extensive testimony and evidence presented by the District Attorney’s Office and the Placer County Sheriff’s Office,” a press release from Placer County District Attorney’s Office stated. (RELATED: Ohio Mother Convicted For Killing Malnourished Daughter With Mountain Dew Diet)
“This case relates to a predatory individual who had access to young children through a dating relationship. The defendant exploited a position of trust by inappropriately touching the young victims during ‘bedtime’ or ‘nap time’. The abuse also escalated over time,” the attorney’s office stated.
In February 2021, Placer County Sheriffs received a report regarding three children who allegedly told their families that there had been “inappropriate activity” with a “non-familial adult in their life.” The children were then interviewed by Placer County MDIC and Children’s Advocacy Center which alleged Bendell would “consistently inappropriately touch the young victims” multiple times, who were between the ages of three to six years old.
The investigation also alleged Bendell had groomed the children throughout the abuse, which led to escalating his acts since the children believed they would “get in trouble” if they had told anyone, according to the press release.
Following authorities officially charging the 28-year-old with multiple counts of lewd acts on a child with a multi-victim enhancement, Bendell’s trial was held on March 5. The jury, according to the district attorney’s office, found that Bendell’s actions had involved exploiting his “position of trust” with children who were “extremely vulnerable.”
During his trial, Bendell reportedly made statements in defense of his case by focusing on the “possibility” of losing his job, concerns over his “social image” and a “desire to maintain” relationship, but allegedly showed no “remorse for traumatizing three” children, the district attorney’s office stated.
