P. v.Cantu CA3

BACKGROUND

Sisters Melissa, Christa, and Angela (ages 14, 9, and 7, respectively) were in their backyard the afternoon of May 12, 2009. The sun was still up. The girls’ mother, Christina K., was inside the house. Christa and Angela were laughing and making noise while they played.

2 Christa and Angela felt water on their heads. They saw water going over the fence into their backyard. Angela was sprayed with water two times. She looked through gaps in the fence and saw a man spraying water at her. The fence separating the girls’ backyard and their neighbor’s property was old and in poor condition. Some portions of the fence were rotted. There were gaps between the fence boards. The man Angela saw spraying water at her did not have any clothes on. He faced the girls. Angela could see the man’s whole body. She saw the man’s private parts. Christa also looked through the fence. She saw a man holding a water hose. The man stood near a lawnmower. Christa and Angela ran into their house. Melissa remained outside. Christa and Angela acted like “they saw a ghost.” They were “in a panic mode, like they didn’t know what to do.” Christa told Christina K. the neighbor was squirting water at…