Todd Thomas wasn’t too happy when Fresno County Superior Court Judge Adolfo Corona gave his daughter’s abuser a no-prison sentence in 2017.
Thomas had pleaded with Corona to give a prison sentence to Hugo Rabson, then 43 years old, who had requested and received nude photos of Thomas’ 14-year-old daughter. But Corona gave Rabson three years of probation instead, angering Thomas at the time.
On Monday, Corona — who has retired from the bench — was charged by county prosecutors with sex crimes and sexual assault by fear or force. No other details about the case were immediately available.
“I am not at all surprised that this judge sympathizes with abusers,” Thomas told The Times in an interview. “I think the county owes my family a whole bunch but I don’t think we’ll ever see it.”
Corona faces up to eight years in prison and will have to register as an offender if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and his bail is set at $70,000. The case is being handled by a Tulare County judge.
Corona was appointed to the bench in 2003 by then Govt. Gray Davis.
Thomas’ daughter’s case made headlines when Thomas impersonated his daughter in a series of text messages with a sex offender, set up a meeting with her in a park in Clovis and kidnapped her from citizen’s arrest. Thomas wrote on Facebook that his resident was arrested and the police arrested Rabson that day.
After Rabson pleaded not guilty to engaging in lewd acts with a minor, Corona ordered him to register as a sex offender but refused to allow Rabson to wear an ankle GPS as he served three years of probation.
“I was not impressed. The fact that they were going to give this guy three years of probation. I thought they were soft. How can I tell the next father to trust the program?” Thomas asked.
After his daughter’s case was closed, Thomas created a non-profit organization called Dad. The group helps men dealing with issues such as anger management and domestic violence.
“The case made me do something to help my community of men in the world today,” said Thomas.
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