Police catch molestation suspect

Deepa Bharath

Police in Massachusetts arrested a 79-year-old man on Monday on

suspicion of inappropriately touching two Costa Mesa girls 12 years

ago, officials said.

The girls, sisters who were 5 and 7 years old when police say the

crime occurred, between October 1991 and October 1993, complained to

Costa Mesa Police in May that Charles Joseph Pauley engaged in lewd

conduct with them, officials said.

After an investigation, officers obtained a warrant for Pauley,

who was living in Contuit, Mass., Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney

said. Barnstable Police officers arrested Pauley in his home. He

waived extradition and was brought to California on Tuesday, Birney

said.

The Orange County district attorney’s office has charged Pauley

with four felony counts of performing lewd acts upon children younger

than 14.

Pauley was the live-in boyfriend of the girls’ grandmother, Costa

Mesa Lt. Tom Curtis said. It is not known if the sisters lived with

their grandmother or simply visited.

Birney said officers do not know when Pauley moved out of state,

but that the sexual acts did happen in Costa Mesa.

Pauley is being held in Orange County jail in lieu of $100,000

bail.

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

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