Murrieta resident, who tried arranging sex with 15-year-old, sentenced to probation, 6 months work-release

MURRIETA – A Murrieta resident, who was accused last year of harassing a 15-year-old girl after he allegedly sent lewd images of himself via his mobile phone and attempted to arrange a meeting for sex with the teen, was sentenced today to three years probation and ordered to register as a sex offender. (Click here to view original story.)

John Louis Colberg, 24, pleaded guilty last month to a single count of contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense.

Colberg was originally charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors. His original charges included suspicion of sending harmful material to a minor with the intent to seduce and communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a sex act; both are felonies.

He was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of arranging a meeting with a minor with the intent to engage in lewd acts, and annoying or molesting a minor.

The investigation into Colberg’s alleged illegal activities began in June, 2016, after the man came into contact with the 15-year-old victim.

According to Murrieta police officials, Colberg met the teenage girl last June 11, during a brief encounter at his residence in the 24000 block of Echo Ridge Drive in Murrieta.

The two met when the teen was going door-to-door handing out flyers advertising her availability for babysitting and animal sitting jobs in the area.

For safety reasons, the cell phone number listed on the girl’s flyers was not her own number, but a number for a phone that belonged to her mother.

After the girl spoke briefly with Colberg and left a flyer at his home, Colberg “almost immediately” began sending inappropriate texts, messages and photographs to the phone number provided on the flyer, Murrieta Police Lt. Ron Driscoll explained at the time.

In one of the very first messages Colberg reportedly sent to the teen, Colberg asked the girl about coming to his home and giving him a “massage,” Driscoll alleged after Colberg’s June arrest. Colberg then allegedly began to send “sexually explicit photos of himself.”

Over the next several days, Colberg continued attempting to communicate with the juvenile not realizing he was sending illicit messages and explicit photographs to the girl’s mother’s cell phone.

All “the communication was sexual in nature,” Driscoll said after Colberg’s arrest.

In addition to sending sexually explicit photos of himself via text to the girl’s mother’s cell phone Colberg also repeatedly asked the teen to reciprocate by sending him nude and explicit photographs of herself, Driscoll explained.

At that point the victim’s parents – who had been monitoring, documenting and saving all the texts, conversations and photographs Colberg had sent – notified Murrieta police officials.

Authorities immediately began an investigation and took over the ongoing “conversation” between Colberg and the teen.

On June 15, just four days after his chance encounter with the teen – and still believing he was communicating with the teenage girl – Colberg sent a message attempting to arrange a meeting with the girl for sex.

Based on their text conversation and believing the victim was home alone for the day, Colberg reportedly suggested coming over to the girl’s residence for sex.

Officials agreed to the meeting.

“At about noon on the same day, Murrieta Police detectives detained Colberg as he approached the juvenile’s home,” Driscoll explained after Colberg’s arrest. “He was arrested without incident and booked on the two felony and two misdemeanor charges.”

In exchange for Colberg’s admission last month to the single felony charge, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office agreed to drop the other four counts against him.

Superior Court Judge Kelly Hansen certified the terms of the plea agreement and imposed the sentence of three years probation – with no straight jail time – as was stipulated and agreed upon by the prosecution and defense.

Instead of spending time in jail or prison, Colberg was ordered to complete six months in a sheriff’s weekend, work-release program; during which time he will be required to check into jail every Friday and will be released from jail every Sunday.

In addition to probation, as part of his sentencing Colberg will also be required to register as a convicted sex offender and he must remain “gainfully employed or go to school.”

Colberg’s registration as a sex offender will require him to report to law enforcement officials any time he relocates. He is also prohibited from working in any field or participating in any activities that put him in regular contact with children.

Colberg remains in custody, jailed on a “no-bail” felony warrant for being a fugitive from justice. No information about that warrant or where it originated was immediately available.

Within hours of the sentencing, social media was already buzzing with people expressing their frustration and anger at what many felt was a light sentence. Many felt that the punishment did not come close to an adequate sentence based on the known circumstances of the case.

Joanne Ascencion, a mother of two children who lives two blocks from Colberg’s Murrieta residence, summed up the sentiments of countless others when she asked, “So, what now? (Colberg) is home again, free? Free to come into ‘accidental’ contact with my children, free to bump into my kids while we are shopping at Wal-Mart, free go to work or go to school, where he can potentially meet other peoples’ children?”

“He is free and I feel like my family and all our neighbors are the ones being punished by having to live near that sick a——,” Acenscion continued. “It is just ridiculous and it is entirely unfair and unreasonable to the rest of us.”

 

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Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.