Man Sentenced to House Arrest for Raping 5-Year-Old, Outrage Ensues

A Stockton, California businessman was sentenced to only 90 days of house arrest and five years of informal probation last week for the rape of a 5-year-old girl, sparking outrage from the victim’s family and online.

Lyle Burgess, 79, agreed to plea no contest to a charge of felony statutory rape of a child in April. He was sentenced on May 23, reports the Stockton Record. As part of the plea deal, San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Ron Northup sentenced Burgess to either 90 days in an alternative-work program or 90 days of house arrest and five years of probation. He also does not have to register as a sex offender.

Burgess’ attorney, Gregory Davenport, told the Record he chose house arrest because of his frail health.

“My client maintains his innocence,” Davenport added. “I believe the allegations are motivated by greed. They are using this instance to try to gain financially.”

The victim’s mother claimed she saw Burgess molest her daughter at the Burgess’ cabin in fall 2016.

According to PEOPLE, the mother said she saw Burgess put his hands down her daughter’s pants.

During testimony at the sentencing hearing, she said Burgess was “getting off easy” by not having to register as a sex offender.

“I want other kids to be protected by possible future abuse by this man,” she said.

“I don’t have too many prized possessions in this world other than my family. (My daughter) will remember this the rest of her life. She sleeps on the floor outside our room,” the father of the victim, who is now 7 years old, added.

Northup told the mother and father that their statements made an impact, but his hands were tied because of the previously negotiated plea deal. The judge also told the parents they thought it was fair when the deal was reached, reports the Record.

The victim and parents also filed a civil lawsuit against Burgess, the founder of auto parts company Rare Parts, Inc.

“He is basically walking away getting to live in his mansion for nine months and that is not much of a penalty at all, if any,” the parents’ lawyer, Kenneth Meleyco, told PEOPLE. “They are going to have to deal with this for the rest of their life, and their daughter is going to have to deal with it for the rest of her life. There is no penalty here at all.”

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office defended the plea deal, saying it was based on an “assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence presented in the case, along with a review of the case facts and testimonies presented at the preliminary hearing.”

Meleyco told PEOPLE the girl’s mother felt she had no choice but to approve the deal.

“It was presented to her like it was already done. … She felt like she was just a layperson being told by an attorney what is happening,” Meleyco said.

The plea bargain sparked outrage on Twitter.

“What kind of justice system do you have?” one person wrote.

Another suggested he should at least have to register as a sex offender.

In response to the online outrage, Rare Parts issued a statement to clarify that Burgess has not been involved with the company since 2014.

“We can understand why people in the community are angry over the plea bargain, but neither I nor our company played any role in the disposition of this criminal matter,” the company’s current president said on May 26. “As the president of this company for over 13 years, I am proud of our employees, our integrity and professionalism. I hope to have the opportunity to maintain the trust of our customers.”

Photo credit: Fox40/San Joaquin County