By Bay City News

A 55-year-old Salinas man was convicted Friday of 11 counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14, Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced.

A jury found Pedro Quezada guilty of molesting a young family member over seven years, beginning when the victim was about 4 years old, according to prosecutors.

Each of the 11 charges is a violent felony and counts as a “strike” under California’s Three Strikes law.

Prosecutors said Quezada threatened the victim to keep her from reporting the abuse, telling her it was “their little secret.” The victim came forward more than a decade later and testified at trial, explaining that fear kept her silent.

Judge Rafael Vazquez is scheduled to sentence Quezada on Nov. 20. He faces up to 110 years in state pris

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