BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man was sentenced Thursday to a year in jail and ordered to register as a sex offender after reaching a plea agreement in connection with groping teen girls and women.
Joe Anthony Cisneros pleaded no contest last month to a felony charge of sexual battery and five misdemeanor sexual battery counts. He had previously faced six felony counts.
Some of the incidents occurred near Golden Valley High School, police said.
Sexual battery is generally a misdemeanor if the person illegally touches someone over their clothing. It rises to a felony if the perpetrator restrains the victim to touch them.
In Cisneros’ case, prosecutors said, only one of the incidents met the elements of “unlawful restraint” necessary for a felony charge, so the other counts were reduced to misdemeanors.
The incidents occurred in January and February at multiple locations, police said.
Four of six victims identified Cisneros through a photo lineup, according to court documents, and cellphone data records placed him in the area of five of the offenses at the time they occurred.
