BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A man was found guilty of charges relating to child sex abuse on Thurs, May 25.
According to the Kern County District Attorney's Office, Frank Delvon Rankin was found guilty of all five charges in a child sex abuse case regarding a then 6-year-old victim. The DA's Office is calling it a "significant sexual assault conviction."
“The targeting of a child as young as six-years-old for sexual abuse exhibits a level of depravity that must be met with the harshest penalties available under the law," said Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer. "Ensuring that child predators are not allowed to victimize others requires a life-in-prison sentence, which the law permits in these extreme circumstances.”
According to the DA's Office, Rankin had continuously molested the daughter of a "close family friend and on-and-off roommate" beginning in 2012. The sexual abuse continued until July 2020, when proof of the assault was found on Rankin's phone by the victim's mother. The mother contacted authorities, who discovered evidence of years of regularly occurring sexual abuse.
Rankin is scheduled for sentencing on Mon, June 26. He faces up to 40 to life, along with an additional 24 years.
