Press release: People v. Gary Bryant

Date: January 14, 2002
Case: People v. Gary Bryant
Contact: Sheri Greco, Special Assault & Child Abuse Unit
Telephone: 874-6524

District Attorney Jan Scully announced that tomorrow morning, January 15, 2002, at 9:00 a.m. in Department 21, defendant Gary Bryant will be sentenced. Last month the defendant was found guilty of 21 counts of child molest after a court trial before the Honorable Judge Jack Sapunor. The charges all involved substantial sexual conduct and occurred approximately 19 years ago between 1982 and 1985 when the victim was a teenaged boy.

After 18 years of silence the victim came forward to disclose his long term sexual abuse following a media release last year reporting that Gary Bryant was the primary suspect in the abduction and molest of a 14 year old boy from the Frys Electronic Store in Sacramento. The multiple charges were filed pursuant to Penal Code Section 803(g), a statute enacted by the legislature in 1994 to permit the prosecution of molest cases after the statute of limitations had expired.

A maximum period of incarceration in state prison will be sought at tomorrow's judgment and sentencing. Under current law if the defendant were convicted of the same 21 counts he would be facing up to 16 years in state prison. However, the sentencing structure for this case is based upon the law as it existed in the 1980's. At that time the Penal Code prohibited the term of imprisonment from exceeding twice the base term. Thus, the defendant is eligible for probation and the maximum term that he could receive is 6 years in state prison.