70-year-old woman wakes up to relative sexually assaulting her, California officials say

A man was convicted after being accused of sexually assaulting his 70-year-old relative, California officials said.

The man, 40, was convicted of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration of an unconscious person and sexual penetration of an unconscious person, according to a March 21 news release by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

McClatchy News is not identifying the suspect to protect the identity of the victim.

In October 2018, the victim said in her testimony that she thought she was having a “very vivid dream” but when she woke up, it “was not a dream,” officials said.

Instead, she saw her relative “kneeling on the floor beside her,” prosecutors said.

The victim screamed, and the man told her he didn’t do anything and was “only looking for his phone,” officials said.

After the woman called 911, personnel at the San Francisco General Hospital’s Rape Trauma Center found evidence of “digital penetration” and the woman’s DNA on the man’s fingers, officials said.

The man faces up to 10 years in prison and must register as a sex offender for life, officials said.

He is scheduled to reappear in court in May for his sentencing, officials said.

This story was originally published March 21, 2024 at 1:00 PM with the headline "70-year-old woman wakes up to relative sexually assaulting her, California officials say."