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Randolph Michael Haldeman, 60, has been found guilty of 15 of the 19 felony counts he faced in San Mateo County Superior Court related to allegations of molesting children over the past 30 years in Menlo Park and Ladera, according to prosecutors.
“This is a long-term predator who was able to get away with it for many years,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. “The jury saw right through his lies.”
On May 10, the 14th day of Haldeman’s trial, a jury found Haldeman guilty of 15 felony counts related to oral copulation by use of drugs, sodomy, child molestation, forcible lewd acts with a child and felony contact with a child for a lewd act.
The jury was deadlocked over two additional counts relating to forcible lewd acts and returned not guilty verdicts over two others on counts related to contacting a minor for a lewd act.
For over 20 years, Haldeman was a photographer with a local recreational swimming pool and said he was connected with the Big Brother program, according to prosecutors. He allegedly befriended children and their families through these programs.
Over the past 30 years, he molested nine children at his home in Menlo Park, at the Ladera community swimming pool and at the St. Denis Church in Menlo Park, according to prosecutors.
The jury deliberated for two days and completed their deliberations around 6 p.m. on May 10, according to Wagstaffe.
The jury, “found the evidence very strong as to the counts they found him guilty on,” Wagstaffe said. “They felt they were credible and there was really no serious dissent as to whether they occurred.”
The case was continued to Aug. 11 for Haldeman’s sentencing, at which several victims and their families plan to share impact statements, Wagstaffe said. Haldeman faces over 100 years to life in prison for the convictions and remains in custody on $5 million bail, according to prosecutors.
Under state parole law, as a senior, he will have to serve a minimum of 25 years before he becomes eligible for parole hearings, Wagstaffe added.
“We’re asking that for this type of predator — and there is no question that he is a predator — serve a long, long sentence to protect the children in our community,” he said.
Kate Bradshaw writes for The Almanac, a sister publication of PaloAltoOnline.com.
Kate Bradshaw writes for The Almanac, a sister publication of PaloAltoOnline.com.
Kate Bradshaw writes for The Almanac, a sister publication of PaloAltoOnline.com.
Kate Bradshaw writes for The Almanac, a sister publication of PaloAltoOnline.com.
“…15 felony counts related to oral copulation by use of drugs, sodomy, child molestation, forcible lewd acts with a child and felony contact with a child for a lewd act.”
These perverse violations against children warrant a lifetime sentence with absolutely no options for parole, senior or no senior citizen.
A child predator will always be a child predator and they can never be fully rehabbed or a responsible and contributing member of society.
This account is just another sickening example of pedophilia and as a parent of young children, I have grown to literally HATE these individuals who are absolutely worthy of no love, compassion, forgiveness, redemption, or a place in everyday society.
May they all be put away or extinguished.
As a retired prison guard who has worked at Pelican Bay, Soledad, and San Quentin, I can assure you that this individual will need to be separated from the general prison population to ensure his safety and well-being.
Word of mouth is like a grapevine among the incarcerated with convicted child molesters and dirty cops being prime targets for violent reprisals.
Ironically, there is a code of honor among those in prison and the prison guards will often look the other way in the event of in-house retributions.
In the event of a subsequequent inmate murder or beating related to a child molestation conviction, some corrections officers perceive it as saving tax-payer money and finalizing the punishment.
And all things considered…it’s no major loss to society as a whole.
Punishment for child molestation varies with the culture.
The punishment for child molesters is Islam is severe and they receive the punishment of committing Zina (adultery).
The punishment for zina by a muhsan (married Muslim) is a hundred lashes followed by stoning to death in public.
Persons who are not muhsan (unmarried Muslim) are punished for zina with one hundred lashes in public, but their life is spared.
In some ways, fundamentalist Islamic law might be viewed as very harsh but it is their way of preserving the stability of their respective societies.
By instilling fear and retribution, societal order is maintained via a theocracy that pretty much spells out the do’s and dont’s based on expectations of self-instilled morality, ethics and acceptable behavior.
And in many ways, this is a worthwhile approach towards eliminating crime, deviancy, and the disintegration of marital unions due to lust.
Though there will always be those who break or ignore these fundamentalist laws, an immoral, reckless, and irresponsible sense of freedom is not acceptable in countries that embrace this religious doctrine.
Parents also need to take an active role in monitoring their children’s tutoring, mentoring, and various sports programs.
We have taken it upon ourselves to grill our 13 year-old daughter by asking her periodically whether her male soccer and swimming coaches make any sexual overtures and if her math tutor ever touches her inappropriately or makes unwarranted seductive comments.
And while she is uncomfortable at times by our asking these kinds of questions, deep down inside she understands the reasons behind our inquisitions.
She also knows that my husband (her father) would go totally ballistic and physically confront anyone suspected of abusing our child.
Parents need to protect their children from child predators and perverts.