Trial of Neighbor Charged With Molesting Boy Delayed

The trial for Horacio Carlos Teran of Menlo Park was delayed again this week, while the prosecution team recovers from seasonal illness.  

This is the fourth setting of the jury trial date, since Teran was arraigned in May 2012. 

The legal battle for his reputation began on March 27, 2010, when Teran, 49, was charged with five counts of committing lewd acts on a 10-year-old boy, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s records. The boy was his neighbor and friends with his son.

The two boys used to play a game similar to tag, according to the prosecution team. 

On multiple occasions, when Teran joined in on the game and tagged the boy, he took him to the “monster cave,” which was the man’s back yard, according to District Attorney records.  The boy was then instructed to close his eyes and count to twenty, according to the District Attorney's records. 

The defendant would then fondle the victim and have the victim touch him, according to the District Attorney's records. 

Teran was arrested, with bail set at $50,000.  He made bail and is out of police custody. He is represented by Michael Armstrong, who has not commented on the matter. 

The boy’s mother testified that her son is seeing a counselor for emotional problems that emerged after the incident. 

Menlo Park Police records show that three incidents of child molestation were reported in 2010.  The next year, that number increased to seven.  In 2012, six adults committed lewd acts on children in Menlo Park.

The mother of the boy who accused Teran of molesting him said her son is seeing a counselor to resolve the emotional problems that emerged after the incidents.  The case is scheduled to be heard in Judge Jonathan Karesh’s courtroom on March 4, 2013.

Editor's Note: On 2/1/13 this story was edited to reflect that the information in this article came from copies of The San Mateo County District Attorney's public records, and not from a conversation with Melissa McKowan. 

 

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