Fullerton Soldier Charged with Sexual Assault

This week, Army Spc. Jason Scofield, 37, was charged with eight felony counts of sexual misconduct with a 16-year-old. Before joining the army, Scofield was a gymnastics instructor in Tustin. Allegedly, earlier this year, Scofield had a three-month-long intimate relationship with a 16-year-old girl he met while working as an instructor. After the relationship ended, the girl told a friend, who told her parents and the relationship was eventually reported to police. At the time police had enough evidence to arrest him, he had joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Arizona, so they arrested him there and extradited him to California. He is currently out on bail and his arraignment hearing is scheduled for December. If Scofield is convicted of all eight charges, he is facing up to seven years and eight months in prison.

Scofield is facing serious charges and needs an experienced defense attorney right away. One possible defense to the charge of sexual assault with a minor is if the suspect did not know the girl was under 18. Often times, the charge of sexual assault with a minor is brought even though there was a consensual intimate relationship between the suspect and the victim. If both of these people were over 18, Scofield would not be guilty of any crime. Unfortunately for him, she was under 16 and if he is convicted of this crime, he will no longer be able to be in the Army or be a gymnastics instructor.

Whether you live in Lake Forest, Irvine or Villa Park, if you are charged with sex crimes, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away.


If you want to know more about sex crimes, or your own charges, call Orange County criminal defense attorney William Weinberg @ 949.474.8008 in his Irvine office.