Man gets 30 years for child sex assault

CLOVIS — A Clovis man on Tuesday was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual assault of a child.

Jose Lopez, 25, pleaded guilty in October to the charges. Following his release from prison, he will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, serve lifetime parole and five to 20 years of probation.

Judge Drew Tatum presided over the sentencing hearing, and told Lopez he had a duty to protect the community from sexual predators.

“The victim’s family was extremely pleased with this 30-year sentence,” District Attorney Andrea Reeb said. “Judge Tatum sent a clear message to this community that those who chose to sexually victimize small children will not be tolerated and these predators will not be allowed to roam free in the 9th Judicial District. This 3-year-old and her family can now rest safe that the defendant will be in custody for a very long time.”

District Public Defender Chandler Blair represented Lopez. An attempt to contact Blair on Tuesday evening was unsuccessful.