Prison term for Southern California man who molested Petaluma teen he met online

A Southern California man who drove to Petaluma to have sex with a 13-year-old girl he met online was handed a 13-year prison term Wednesday, Sonoma County District Attorney officials said.

Brent Spivey, 24, of Walnut in Los Angeles County, pleaded guilty to multiple felony crimes last month involving child molestation and trying to molest a minor, including having sex with a child younger than ?14 years old, records show.

Spivey met the girl last year on a live-chat website and sent her pornographic videos and images of himself and “lured her into sending videos of herself to him,” prosecutors said. The girl initially said she was 16 and when she later admitted to being 13, Spivey “told her that was ‘even better,’” according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Spivey traveled to Petaluma in December 2017 and molested the girl, police said. Police were alerted to the crime and detectives took over the child’s social media accounts with permission from her parents, according to police. That led to Spivey’s arrest in June at an east Petaluma playground where he believed he had arranged to meet her. Police showed up instead. Prosecutors said he had set up a makeshift campsite at a nearby creek with a tent “stocked with condoms, lubricant, and whipped cream.”

District Attorney Jill Ravitch said the girl’s bravery “showed throughout this case” and “helped to make sure this predator will be removed from this community for a long period of time, and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.”

During Wednesday’s sentencing, the girl and her mother gave tearful statements in court about the crime’s impact on her and her family.

Parents with concerns can learn more about online safety for children from Petaluma- based nonprofit Polly Klaas Foundation at www.pollyklaas.org.