Defending Sexual Assault

The defense of those accused of sexual assault crimes including child molestation accusations requires a specialized knowledge of California law. The mere accusation of committing a sexual crime can carry lifetime repercussions. Beyond criminal arrest, Child Protective Services can conduct an independent investigation to possibly remove your children from the home or to report the allegation to the California Department of Justice sex offender database.

Convictions of either misdemeanor and felony sexual offenses carry the possibility of jail, sex offender counseling, and lifetime sexual offender registration.

“Every person described for the rest of his or her life while residing in California, or while attending school or working in California, as described in Sections 290.002 and 290.01, shall register with the chief of police of the city in which he or she is residing, or the sheriff of the county if he or she is residing in an unincorporated area or city that has no police department, and, additionally, with the chief of police of a campus of the University of California, the California State University, or community college if he or she is residing upon the campus or in any of its facilities, within five working days of coming into, or changing his or her residence within, any city, county, or city and county, or campus in which he or she temporarily resides, and shall be required to register thereafter in accordance with the Act.” CA Penal Code section 290.

In 2018, new laws in California were initiated that allows termination of sex offender registration. Experience and knowledge of these new laws and the requirements to remove an offender from registration is critical. Mr. McDougall, a former Deputy District Attorney in the San Mateo County Sexual Assault Unit, has successfully represented many people accused with sexual assault offenses. Mr. McDougall has represented those charged in criminal courts throughout the state, from San Diego to San Francisco, including Santa Barbara and Sacramento.