Wadsworth man sentenced to 14 years for sex assault at Lambs Farm
A Wadsworth man was sentenced to 14 years in prison Monday for molesting a woman with Down syndrome over four months in 2012.
Hector Picaso, 62, of the 13000 block of Douglas Court, received seven-year terms on each of the two counts of criminal sexual assault he was convicted of by a jury in June. Judge James K. Booras ordered Picaso serve the sentences consecutively, meaning he won't begin the second seven-year term until the first is complete.
“There is no way the defendant can compensate the victim for what he's done to her,” Booras said in court Monday.
Picaso also was sentenced to four years in prison on four counts of criminal sexual abuse. That time will be served concurrently to the seven-year terms.
Under state law, Picaso must serve 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole. He received just under two years of credit for time already served in Lake County jail.
After Booras handed down the sentence Monday, Picaso smirked at family members in court before turning back to the judge and shaking his head “no.”
It took a jury less than three hours on June 6 to convict Picaso of molesting the then-36-year-old victim on four occasions between Feb. 2 and May 24, 2012, just months after she moved into and began working at the Lambs Farm assisted living quarters in Green Oaks.
The victim was present throughout the three-day trial and testified against Picaso.
Lake County prosecutor Tim Niehus said at trial that Picaso served as the victim's cleaning crew supervisor, and he preyed on her because she had not yet ingrained herself into the culture of Lambs Farm.
During the four-month period of assault, Niehus said Picaso sexually abused the victim in a public washroom and in her apartment.
Picaso tried to assault the victim twice more, Niehus said, but she refused his advances. After the second refusal, Niehus said, Picaso quit working at Lambs Farm.
The victim told supervisors about the attack after he quit, which led to him being charged in August 2012, authorities said.
Defense attorney Doug Grimes argued for the minimum sentence of four years, saying Picaso's health was deteriorating due to diabetes and that a psychological report showed the 62-year-old was unlikely to be a repeat offender.