Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Sex Assault of Boy in Mall

A man was sentenced to three years in state prison for molesting a 9-year-old boy in a mall in July, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Richard Camarena, 45, of Claremont pleaded no contest to a felony count of lewd act upon a child on August 15, authorities said.

"In addition to the prison sentence, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mike Camacho also ordered the defendant to register as a lifetime sex offender," according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

On July 8, the boy visited the movie theater in the Puente Hills Mall in the City of Industry with his family, said Deputy District Attorney Rose Carrion of the Victim Impact Program who prosecuted the case.

After the movie, the child used a restroom near the food court in the mall. The boy was in a locked restroom stall when the door "wiggled open," Carrion said. Camarena came inside and then touched the victim inappropriately in the stall.

The boy struggled with Camarena before Camarena left the restroom, according to the prosecutor.

The victim told his family what happened and they reported it to law enforcement officials around 6:50 p.m. Authorities released a surveillance image in an effort to locate the man responsible.

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Camarena was arrested at his relative's home in Claremont around 11:30 p.m. on July 23, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. According to the booking report, he was a Disneyland employee at that time.

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