{"id":1342,"date":"2026-06-06T14:35:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T14:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1342"},"modified":"2026-06-06T14:35:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T14:35:29","slug":"he-described-grooming-and-molesting-boys-through-contra-costa-churches-then-he-was-granted-parole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1342","title":{"rendered":"He described ‘grooming’ and molesting boys through Contra Costa churches. Then he was granted parole"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SOLEDAD \u2014 A Bay Point child molester has been tentatively granted release from prison after California parole commissioners lauded the \u201ccoping tools\u201d he can use to address the \u201cpedophilic disorder\u201d that led him to groom and molest children he met through Contra Costa churches.<\/p>\n

Read more New leader takes the helm at the Monterey Bay Aquarium<\/a><\/p>\n

Before he was granted parole last January, 51-year-old Ronald DeGuzman \u2014 an Air Force veteran and former San Francisco police officer \u2014 gave hours of testimony that offered a detailed glimpse into the mind of a self-admitted child predator. In 2017, DeGuzman accepted a plea deal for a life sentence with a chance for parole in a massive child molestation case involving five victims who he met through churches in central and East Contra Costa, according to court records.<\/p>\n

In front of the parole board, DeGuzman admitted to victimizing eight boys hundreds of times and said that if \u201cvoyeurism\u201d were factored in, the number of victims would be around 50. But perhaps his most stunning admissions were his descriptions of how he hid in plain sight, using his status and charm to methodically gain the trust of parents in his community, knowing full well he was only doing so because he planned to get their children alone and abuse them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good I came to prison. I understand that it\u2019s good that I\u2019m here. I needed to be here,\u201d DeGuzman said at the hearing. \u201cI needed to be removed from society.\u201d<\/p>\n

But DeGuzman\u2019s time in prison may soon be coming to an end, though it remains an open question. A parole board granted his release, but in late May, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked for a \u201cfull review\u201d by a second board, which is likely to convene later this year. A hearing date has not yet been set, records show.<\/p>\n

At the January hearing, at a prison in Soledad, DeGuzman admitted his\u00a0\u201cattraction\u201d to kids will probably last for the rest of his life. But he told the board he has evolved from the \u201cperson I was\u201d and is committed to not doing harm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI deceived you all and other families into thinking your sons would be protected and safe with me. I lied directly to all your faces without remorse or shame, manipulating your trust in someone who was law enforcement, a veteran, and someone who claimed to be a Christian brother,\u201d he said to the parents of two victims at his hearing.\u00a0\u201cHowever I am no longer the same person and I vow to never take advantage of people or create new victims by continuing my therapy and rehabilitation for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parole commissioners acknowledged DeGuzman\u2019s \u201chigher moderate risk for future violence\u201d and said he would require \u201cspecial conditions\u201d if he is released. But they said they were moved by his honesty and apparent commitment to abiding by sex offender requirements if released.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMr. DeGuzman is not in denial with regards to his pedophilic disorder,\u201d Commissioner Excel Sharrieff said at the hearing. \u201cHe understands this is going to remain with him for the rest of his life, but more importantly he has coping tools in place to address those concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more A snapshot of the Bay Area\u2019s 8 World Cup teams<\/a><\/p>\n

DeGuzman told the board that he understands how his \u201cattraction\u201d to children works now. His time as a predator started when DeGuzman was just 12 and continued until 2014, at age 39, when he was arrested by the Contra Costa Sheriff\u2019s office and charged with 17 counts of sexual abuse, he said.<\/p>\n

He used his time in the Air Force and three years with the San Francisco Police Department to his advantage, he said, gaining the trust of parents whose sons might want to become soldiers or cops one day themselves. He met his victims through churches where he was active, he said, using their trust as a weapon, to isolate young boys. He said he was in the process of \u201cgrooming\u201d two new victims when he was arrested.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grooming process started with the mother and the father, the people around them to gain their trust so that when I was around their children they wouldn\u2019t question it,\u201d DeGuzman told the board. As time went on he would start, \u201cgetting them used to my touch; would be a handshake at first, a pat on the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

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When he began molesting children, he would justify it by convincing himself that he was \u201cdoing more good than bad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt entitled to the sex that I was getting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

One recent example of his change, he said, was during a hearing in a prison visitation room with family members when he started to feel \u201cdistracted\u201d by a boy at another table. He said he asked to switch seats so the child wouldn\u2019t be in his line of sight. Later, the parole board asked him what he is most proud of.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat I\u2019ve changed,\u201d DeGuzman said. \u201cThat I\u2019m not the that same offending person, that I\u2019m not victimizing anyone anymore \u2026 That\u2019s what I\u2019m most proud of, that I don\u2019t objectify people anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeGuzman\u2019s release was opposed by both the Contra Costa District Attorney\u2019s office and the two family members of his victims who showed up to speak out at the hearing. Both said they were there because they didn\u2019t want other families to suffer how theirs did.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have nightmares knowing what he did to our child, knowing we trusted him and brought him into our lives,\u201d one victim\u2019s mother said. \u201cIt haunts us and sickens us to this day. We can never escape the nightmare that is Ronald DeGuzman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Crockett, the waterside town that time forgot, is a lovely Bay Area day trip<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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