Petaluma man sentenced to 100 years to life in prison for child molestation

A 46-year-old Petaluma man who molested young girls attending the daycare his wife operated out of their home was sentenced Tuesday to 100 years to life in state prison.

The sentence, handed down by Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Bradford DeMeo, comes after Pedro Ibanez was convicted in November of four felony counts of child molestation with enhancements for having multiple victims under the age of 14, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

The incidents began in 2008, when Ibanez’s wife began providing daycare in their apartment. When one of the victims was between 1 and 2 years old, her parents took her to the home while they were at work. Now 13, the victim testified during the trial that on several occasions when Ibanez was home, he would take her into his bedroom, show her pornography and molest her, the news release said. She reported Ibanez to a school counselor when she was 11.

Petlauma police investigated the report and later found a second victim, who was taken to Ibanez’s home for daycare when she was 4 to 6 years old. Now 12, she testified that she, too, had been molested by Ibanez during that time, the news release said.

Ibanez’s attorney, Kristine Burk, said she filed a notice of appeal Tuesday, adding that her client maintained his innocence.

A representative from the District Attorney’s Office could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ChantelleHLee.