A Southern California man accused of preying on children at public libraries was sentenced to two years in prison for a felony charge of committing a lewd act on a child.
Sean Patrick O’Farrell, 41, found out his sentence in a north San Diego courtroom Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to one count of oral copulation on a child under 18 years old. In return, several other felony and misdemeanor charges against him were dropped, and he will get credit for the 180 days of time already served.
The father of the underage victim spoke in court during O'Farrell's sentencing, telling him: "I want you to hear how disgusted I am, what he did to my son. He definitely deserved what he got. I'm just so upset right now."
The father thanked investigators and attorneys for getting O'Farrell off the street.
According to prosecutors, O'Farrell met his Solana Beach victim, who was then 14 years old, on the website Adam to Adam. The two met in person around Balboa Park, where O'Farrell admitted to oral copulation with a minor.
O’Farrell was first arrested in August 2015 for allegedly possessing child pornography, to which he pleaded not guilty. About a week prior to his arrest, O’Farrell had allegedly offered to pay a 15-year-old boy for sex acts in the bathroom of the Rancho Cucamonga Library, according to detectives.
Investigators said they found O’Farrell to be in possession of several public library cards from different locations, and it appeared he may have been trolling public libraries, including one in Solana Beach, for potential young victims.
In the Rancho Cucamonga incident, deputies said the teen refused O’Farrell’s alleged request and walked away. The boy alleged O’Farrell followed him around the library. The teen notified a library staffer who then called authorities.
In September 2015, the San Diego County District Attorney’s office charged O’Farrell with three new felonies and two new misdemeanor counts, including contact with a minor to commit a sexual offense, arranging a sex meeting with a minor, attending a sex meeting with a minor, oral copulation of a minor and child molestation.
Documents in a search warrant affidavit showed allegations involving O’Farrell date back 13 years. He was contacted by law enforcement at multiple local libraries, accused of stalking minors and watching them urinate in the public restroom, according to those documents. No charges were filed in the previous cases.
However, he does face charges of soliciting sex from a minor in San Bernardino County.
