Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Former Deputy Mark Petrina Accused of Sexually Abusing several Young Girls

Five victims have accused Mark Petrina, a former Kern County Sheriff's deputy, of sexually abusing them at his house in Bakersfield. The police have also identified three other victims who say they were also sexually abused, but they wouldn't go on the record.

According to court documents, the eight victims said they were molested over a period of several months, and sometimes years, while they were young, and just beginning puberty. Two of those victims are now adult women, who say Petrina sexually abused them when they were young, more than 30 years ago.

The investigating detective called several of the alleged victims, and each girl told roughly the same story, that Petrina would molest them in his bed, by touching and fondling their private parts. One girl reported she remembered Petrina giving her toys after the molestations were over.

Petrina was recently extradited to Kern County from Aberdeen, Wash. The Bakersfield Police Department said Petrina moved there earlier this year after he became aware of the molestation investigation.

Petrina is now retired, but as a sheriff's deputy court documents show, Petrina was primarily assigned to jail operations. He has been placed on suicide watch while being held in jail.

Petrina has pleaded not guilty to five felony charges of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and one felony count of continuous sexual abuse of a child. Those charges stem from the alleged abuse of only three of the listed victims. Petrina is due back in court for his pre-preliminary hearing on June 18. His bail is set at $270,000.

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