A jury in Orange County Superior Court has been convinced: Michael Clair Glines of Trabuco is guilty of 15 felony counts of child molestation and related crimes. The sentencing will be announced on January 29. His Orange County criminal defense attorney may be able to shield him from the most dramatic penalties but, in even in the best case scenario, Glines will likely serve a lengthy jail sentence and be forced to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to court documents, neighborhood children would often visit the Gline house to play with his young children. During those visits, the jury concluded, Glines engaged in a variety of sexual acts with children under 10 years old. Some of the charges include lewd or lascivious acts with a minor and using an underage person for obscene matter. One of Glines’ relatives also said she had been molested by him.
His criminal defense attorney argued that Glines did play with the children and wrestle with them but he did not molest them. This argument, apparently, was not persuasive. However, the defender’s job is now to protect her client from catastrophic penalties and, perhaps, argue that he can be rehabilitated.