Nov 13, 2009 8:20 pm US/Pacific
Anaheim Man, 62, Gets Jail Time For Child Molest
Jon Patrick Harrison Is Co-Owner Of A Self-Defense Studio
NEPORT BEACH (CBS) ―
Officials say a 62-year-old Anaheim man pleaded guilty Friday to molesting a 4-year-old girl before he was sentenced to three years in a state prison.
Jon Patrick Harrison is also the co-owner of a self-defense studio.
He pleaded guilty to a felony count of lewd acts on a child before Orange County Superior Court Judge Greg Jones. There was a sentencing enhancement added for substansial sexual conduct on a child.
Had he gone to trial and been convicted, Harrison would have faced a maximum eight-year prison term, said Orange County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Farrah Emami.
Harrison's attorney, David E. Swanson, said prosecutors offered a plea deal of six years in prison. He asked Jones for a plea deal and received an offer of three years.
Harrison, while alone with the girl in a secluded area of United Studios of Self Defense, fondled her, Emami said.
The girl told her mother about a week later and the mother called police. Harrison co-owned and was an instructor at United Studios in Costa Mesa.
Addressing Jones today, the girl's father characterized Harrison as a threat to children and said he deserved to go to prison, Emami said.
"My wife and I thought we were improving our children, giving them self-confidence and giving them a skill to protect themselves from harm," the father said, according to Emami. "How wrong we were. Little did we know that we were delivering our daughter to a child molester."
Harrison apologized to the family in court, Swanson said. "He said several times that he was sorry," Swanson said, adding Harrison also told them he didn't understand why he did it.
"He's helped a lot of people over the years and something just went wrong and he did something he greatly regretted," Swanson said. "He was 61 years old and he'd never been in trouble before in his life."
A federal grand jury also indicted Harrison on a child pornography charge in July. He is accused of having an image of child pornography on the hard drive of his computer, according to court records.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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