CALIFORNIA
The Orange County Register
By PETER LARSON / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA – A mother cried Friday morning as an Orange County judge sentenced the retired priest who pleaded guilty to molesting her son and another boy almost 20 years ago.
Denis Lyons, 78, of Seal Beach previously admitted to charges of molesting a 7- to 9-year-old boy at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Costa Mesa between 1992 and 1995, for four felony counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 14.
Lyons pleaded guilty in an agreement with prosecutors that allowed him to avoid a potential 14-year prison sentence if convicted at trial.
Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno ordered Lyons on Friday to serve one year in county jail beginning Oct. 12, followed by five years probation. He must also complete lifetime sex offender registration and serve 400 hours of community service.
Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown said in March when Lyons pleaded guilty that her office considered the victims’ wishes to resolve the case without going through the ordeal of a publicized trial.
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