Veches jury starts to deliberate

Deepa Bharath

Jury deliberations began Thursday afternoon in the trial of a

32-year-old former recreation coordinator accused of sucking the toes

of several young boys enrolled in the city’s after-school programs.

Earlier on Thursday, the jurors heard defense attorney John

Patrick Dolan proclaim his client’s innocence during closing

arguments.

In a booming voice that was emotionally charged, Dolan said

Trenton Veches did not love the children at in a “seamy, dirty,

gutter kind of way.”

“His love for the children was pure,” he said. “He loves the

children. He does not lust after them.”

The prosecution put 23 boys on the stand. All of them testified

that Veches either sucked, licked or massaged their feet. One of the

boys told jurors that Veches had made him remove his pants and

touched him inappropriately.

Prosecutor Sheila Hanson also presented several photographs

recovered from Veches’ home computer of the children’s feet and of

him sucking their feet. Hanson said Veches filed away many of these

pictures in CD-ROMs and in his home computer.

Dolan said all that evidence still does not prove Veches’ intent

beyond a reasonable doubt.

“This is a charged sex crime with no sex,” he said.

But Hanson argued that the charges against Veches do not allege

sexual acts but lewd acts committed with the intent of sexual

gratification. She said in her closing arguments that Veches has “no

defense for this crime.”

“It doesn’t matter if a child says it’s OK,” Hanson said. “What do

children know about sex at this age? They don’t have the knowledge

that an adult sucking at their toes is a lewd act.

“The fact that they didn’t run away from [Veches] yelling and

screaming or the fact that they took candy from him is no defense

against this crime.”

That his client sucked the children’s toes was “bizarre” and

“weird,” Dolan said. He said police did find several pictures

depicting child pornography in Veches’ computer.

“But possession of child pornography is a misdemeanor,” he said.

“And my client has already pleaded guilty to it.”

Dolan said Veches told Newport Beach Police Det. Tom Monarch more

than 50 times during their recorded conversation that what he did was

“not sexual.”

Veches has been charged with 25 felony counts of lewd contact with

a minor. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison

without the possibility of parole for at least 25 years.

The jury has to choose between finding him not guilty, guilty of

the charges or guilty of “attempted lewd conduct,” which is a lesser

charge. Jurors will consider the 25 charges separately.

The jury will continue deliberation on Monday morning.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.