A church choir group leader arrested last year on suspicion of sex crimes against a 15-year-old girl who was a member of a San Ysidro church's choir pleaded guilty Monday to one count of lewd acts on a child.
Rafael Magana, 28, faces up to three years in state prison and will have to register as a sex offender for what police said was a sexual assault that took place in the Paradise Hills neighborhood.
San Diego police said Magana, who was 25 years old at the time, drove the girl to and from a baby shower on Nov. 6, 2021.
After the baby shower, police said Magana drove the girl to Paradise Hills where he parked the car on Reo Drive, sexually assaulted her, then drove her home.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
Police identified the girl only by her age and stated she was a member of a church choir group at Victory Outreach Church in San Ysidro, where Magana served as her church choir group leader.
The victim did not report the assault to police until March of last year due to what police described as "a confluence of factors." Magana was arrested last August and has remained in custody since then.
