Sacramento caregiver convicted of elder sexual abuse

James Harold Garner, 28, was convicted Thursday of repeatedly sexually assaulting the disabled senior person he served as a live-in caregiver.

A Sacramento County Superior Court jury found Garner guilty on three counts of rape by force, two counts of forced oral copulation and one count of elder abuse.

On March 29, 2015, Garner entered the victim’s room where he repeatedly raped and committed other acts of sexual assault. The 65-year-old victim, who had survived a stroke and suffered from COPD, had significant mobility, strength, communication and memory impairments, according to a media release from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office.

Garner faces up to 45 years in prison for the six felonies, according to the district attorney’s office. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2018.

This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Sacramento caregiver convicted of elder sexual abuse."