Daytona Beach, FL – A registered sexual predator goes to prison for the rest of his life after a jury finds him guilty of molesting a little girl as she slept.
43-year-old Meshac M. Abentego was given a mandatory sentence of life behind bars by Volusia County Circuit Judge Leah Case during a hearing on Thursday.
“The only way to ensure the safety of the citizens from this serial sexual predator is a life sentence,” said 7th Circuit State Attorney RJ Larizza said following the sentencing. “The citizens of this circuit can rest a little easier today now that Abentego is in prison for life.”
Abentego was convicted by a Volusia County jury in July of lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor after less than 15 minutes of deliberation.
Spencer Hathaway – a spokesman for Larizza – says prosecutors got Abentego labeled as a Prison Release Reoffender prior to the sentencing, making the life sentence mandatory.
The mother of the victim – a girl under the age of 12 – told the Daytona Beach Police Department in July 2014 that Abentego was a family friend who had been staying at her new home the last 2 days while helping her move in.
According to the arrest report, the mother called police after the girl told her that she woke up and found Abentego next to her with his hands inside her pajamas and on her buttocks. Abentego reportedly fled from the home at that point.
His arrest report didn’t specify how he was caught, but the girl’s mother told DBPD Abentego was staying with his sister at Lakeside Apartments in Daytona Beach before he stayed with her and her daughter.
Besides the lewd and lascivious molestation charge, Abentego was also hit with a failure to register charge since his last listed address was tracked down to a wooded area in New Smyrna Beach.
Abentego was hit with the sex predator tag following a December 2003 case where he was charged with attempted sexual battery on a girl under the age of 12.
Hathaway says Abentego has an extensive criminal history, including convictions for aggravated assault, carrying a concealed firearm, grand theft and sale of cocaine.
Meshac M. Abentego (mugshot courtesy Volusia County Jail)
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.