LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Clearlake man is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison for sexually assaulting three children over a two and a half year period.

On Wednesday, Judge Andrew Blum sentenced Travis Dwayne Hill, 51, to 75 years to life in prison following a jury trial where Hill was found guilty of nine counts of sexual assault.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office took Hill into custody on Sept. 14, 2021, based on allegations that he had sexually assaulted three minor children at his home in Lucerne from January 2015 through July of 2017, the District Attorney’s Office reported.

The DA’s Office said the three children Hill assaulted ranged in age from 6 to 9 years old.

The children would play in the neighborhood with Hill’s children, who were of similar age, and also play in Hill’s home and his backyard, the DA’s Office said.

Authorities said Hill would take the children into his bedroom and assault them individually. The three victims testified at trial to their account of the abuse by Hill.

The District Attorney’s Office charged Hill with three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child, three counts of sodomy with a child under 10 and three counts of oral copulation with a child under 10. Three minor children were named as the victims.

Defense attorney Andrea Sullivan represented Travis Hill and Deputy District Attorney Rich Watson prosecuted the case.

On April 14, a 12-member jury returned a verdict of guilty against Hill on all counts following a five-day trial.

The sentencing was continued three times for post-conviction motions and continuances filed by defense counsel.

On Aug. 9, Judge Blum denied Hill’s motion for a new trial and sentenced Hill to an aggregate term of 75 years to life in prison.

“While no amount of prison time given to Hill can undo the damage he has caused, the sentence was appropriate and a major step in getting closure for the three children and allowing them to continue to heal,” Watson said.