A Calabasas man has been convicted of molesting two children, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Micah Lanere Smith, 47, was convicted on Friday of five felonies: two counts of lewd acts upon a child, one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and two counts of sexual penetration with force or fear, the DA’s office said in a news release.
In addition, on Monday, a jury found true special allegations that crimes had been committed against multiple victims and that Smith took advantage of a position of trust.
The abuse lasted between 2006 and 2017, when the victims were 6 and 9 years old, though the investigation didn’t begin until 2019, when Smith was “involved in a domestic violence incident in Los Angeles County,” the release said.
The molestation occurred in Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, prompting Ventura County officials’ involvement.
“When these victims should have been enjoying a normal childhood, they were instead subjected to sexual abuse at the hands of the defendant,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Edward Andrews,. “My hope is that the jury’s recognition of their suffering brings the victims some closure.”
Smith will be sentenced on March 27, and he faces a maximum of 66 years to life in state prison.
He remains at the Ventura County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
