On September 20, 2022, an El Dorado County jury convicted 58-year-old Robert Allen Oakes of three counts of felony child molestation and one additional felony count of meeting with a minor for lewd purposes.
In 2009-2010, Mr. Oakes was the babysitter for the 5-year-old granddaughter of his then-girlfriend, for a period of several months. During this time, Mr. Oakes took advantage of this position of trust and repeatedly molested the young girl. Approximately ten years later, this young girl bravely came forward and disclosed the horrific acts that Mr. Oakes had committed against her. After the young girl’s disclosure, South Lake Tahoe Police Department detectives apprehended Mr. Oakes at South Tahoe High School on August 28, 2019 as he attempted to meet with this young girl again.
The investigation was led by South Lake Tahoe Police Department Detective Allen Molesworth, and the case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ryan Whyte. Judge Michael McLaughlin presided over the trial, which took three weeks to complete, in Department 3 of the South Lake Tahoe courthouse. Mr. Oakes is facing the possibility of 26-years-to-life in prison for his crimes, and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 17, 2022.