Woman Faces 32-Count Molestation Indictment : Thousand Oaks: Grand jury indictment makes the same accusations that a judge dismissed July 1. - Los Angeles Times
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Woman Faces 32-Count Molestation Indictment : Thousand Oaks: Grand jury indictment makes the same accusations that a judge dismissed July 1.

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Two months after initial charges were tossed out, a 35-year-old Thousand Oaks woman faces new charges from a grand jury accusing her of repeatedly seducing an underage boy.

The Ventura County grand jury delivered a 32-count indictment against onetime schoolteacher Gloria Goldman, reissuing the same charges that were dismissed by a judge July 1.

As before, prosecutors have employed a new state law that allows them to prosecute women for having sex with a minor. Prior to January, only men could face charges in California for engaging in sexual intercourse with minors, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Bob Calvert in announcing the charges Tuesday.

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Goldman, the second Ventura County woman charged with molesting a boy in recent months, appeared at an arraignment Tuesday in Superior Court alongside her attorney, Deputy Public Defender Neil B. Quinn. The hearing was postponed until Sept. 7 to give the defense more time to review court records from the indictment proceedings.

Outside court, Goldman said she was “very surprised†prosecutors sought the indictment against her months after the case had been tossed out by a judge. “I thought this was over with,†she said. “It seemed to me that they had proof to show that I was innocent.â€

Goldman was initially charged in Municipal Court last May with having sex with the teen-ager over a 2 1/2-year period, beginning when he was 15. He is now 18.

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A Superior Court judge dismissed the charges, ruling that the lower court erred during the preliminary hearing by barring a defense witness from testifying, and by not allowing the woman’s defense attorney to play a taped police interview with her accuser.

Prosecutors, however, never closed the book on their case against Goldman.

Last week, Calvert presented evidence against Goldman to the grand jury, which returned the indictment Friday. In addition to the two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor filed under the new law, the defendant is charged with 11 counts of lewd acts against a child and 19 counts of oral copulation with a person under the age of 18.

Goldman seemed confident, yet perturbed during the brief interview outside court. “I’m wondering why they waited this long†to return the indictment, she said.

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She also said she is confident that she will prevail at trial, which will be set with her arraignment Sept. 7.

“You want it over with. I thought it was over with. It should have been over with,†said Goldman, who declined to reveal her current occupation and employer.

“I’m not worried that we are not going to be able to prove my innocence.

“The people in the community know me, and they know I’m innocent. They also knew the young man, and what type of person he is,†she said.

The teen-ager could not be reached for comment. During the preliminary hearing, a Ventura County sheriff’s detective testified that the youth had told him that the sexual relationship began in August, 1991, and continued until February of this year.

The allegations arose after the teen-ager confided in a man police have described as a spiritual counselor. The counselor called the Sheriff’s Department.

At the preliminary hearing, Detective Bob LeMay said the boy referred to Goldman as Gigi and said they had sexual intercourse on trips to Big Bear, Lake Powell, Utah and Disneyland.

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LeMay also said the boy has since recanted his testimony to his mother. Deputy Public Defender Quinn said the teen-ager has also recanted in an interview with an investigator for the defense.

Calvert said he could not discuss whether the teen-ager would testify against Goldman at a trial or any other evidence in the case.

When asked if prosecutors have enough evidence to convict Goldman if the victim is not cooperative, Calvert said those are issues for a jury to decide.

Quinn said he believes prosecutors informed the grand jury that the boy has recanted his complaint against Goldman. But he said it also appears that they failed to call before the grand jury witnesses who could have exonerated Goldman.

“I just hope the district attorney put the whole story in front of the grand jury,†Quinn said.

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