Balboa man charged with lewd acts

Sue Doyle

NEWPORT BEACH -- A Balboa Island man suspected of touching three young

girls inappropriately was charged Thursday with six counts of lewd acts

with a minor and one count of possession of child pornography,

authorities said.

Thomas Michael Murphy, 52, appeared in court Thursday but did not enter a

plea. Arraignment was set for Tuesday in Harbor Justice Center.

Murphy, who was arrested Tuesday at his Vine Avenue home, is being held

at Orange County Jail on $250,000 bail.

He allegedly started befriending the girls in December, inviting them for

ice cream and other outings, said Tori Richards, a spokeswoman for the

Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

In many cases of crimes against minors, the children trust the adult

suspects, said Sgt. Mike McDermott of the Newport Beach Police

Department.

Authorities said the three young girls told their parents that Murphy

touched them inappropriately and showed them pornographic materials. A

fourth girl has come forward, but investigators said they could not

confirm her story.

Police began looking into the case late last week, when the parents

disclosed the girls’ allegations.

Child pornography was confiscated from a computer in Murphy’s house,

McDermott said.

During the hearing, Murphy gazed around the courtroom with a serious

expression on his face.

Mark Sork, who lives across the street from Murphy, attended the brief

hearing.

Sork said he felt compelled to sit inside the courtroom Thursday out of

concern for his three daughters.

“They are why I’m here today,” he said.