An 84 year old Santa Barbara County man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of molesting children in his family. Robert Charles Hawley of Santa Barbara was found guilty of nine counts of child molestation and sexual assault, involving three family members.
Hawley received a 92 years to life sentence. Prosecutors credit an alert citizen with helping to bring the molestation to light.
Someone called 911, saying they saw Hawley inappropriately touch a young girl in a supermarket. It led to a Santa Barbara Police investigation which uncovered the molestations.
