Lakeport man sentenced to 45 years to life for sexually assaulting two women
- LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
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This story contains descriptions of sexual assaults.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — A Lakeport man has been sentenced to 45 years to life in state prison for sexually assaulting two women in early 2022.
On Tuesday, Judge J. David Markham handed down the sentence to Sean Randall Daugherty, 42.
In June, a jury convicted Daugherty of three counts of sexual assault — two counts of oral copulation by force and one count of sexual penetration by force — on the two female victims.
That trial, which began at the end of May, was his second. The first had resulted in a hung jury last year.
“Sean Daugherty prayed on people that were vulnerable and had nowhere to go,” said Deputy District Attorney Richard Watson, who prosecuted the case. “Three of the four victims that testified against Daugherty were determined to have disabilities. This conviction brings closure and a sense of security to victims that still fear Daugherty.”
On Jan. 20, 2022, Lakeport Police Department Sgt. Ryan Cooley was dispatched to Elijah House, the name for the homeless shelter then operating at the former juvenile hall, to speak with a victim of sexual assault.
The victim told Cooley that she had been homeless and staying at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on the weekend of Jan. 1 to 3.
On Friday Jan. 1, she was attacked by a man she knew by the name D.K. during the middle of the night. D.K. was later identified as Sean Daugherty, the District Attorney’s Office reported.
Daugherty struck the victim in the face and head with his hand and forced her to orally copulate him. Daugherty also pulled the victim's pants part down and digitally penetrated her with force.
The following day Daugherty attempted to again assault the victim, so she called 911 and fled the area.
On Feb. 6, 2022, Sgt. Cooley was dispatched to Library Park in Lakeport for a welfare check of a female at the Third Street boat ramp. The second victim said that she had nowhere to stay and had been sexually assaulted earlier that day at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
The second victim said she was assaulted by a man she had met that day named D.K. During her testimony at trial, she identified Sean Daugherty as D.K.
Daugherty struck her on the lower back and buttocks and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Daugherty also called her cruel and demeaning names as he assaulted her.
After the assault she left the church and remained in Lakeport at the park until contacted by law enforcement.
Daugherty was arrested in June 2022 and has remained in custody since then.
At trial both of his victims took the stand. Two additional victims also testified against Daugherty about prior sexual misconduct he had committed.
The third victim testified that Daugherty had assaulted him in 2015. He said he knew the person who had assaulted him as D.K. and identified his attacker as Sean Daugherty during testimony.
The fourth victim said that in 2017 she was 16 years old and had run away from home. She was staying at a church in Lakeport with a man named D.K. who she identified as Sean Daugherty during testimony.
Daugherty, who was 36 at the time, engaged in unlawful sex with the minor. The young woman testified that at no time did Daugherty take her home to her parents or call for help for her. He provided her alcohol and had sex with her.
Watson said the testimony of the third and fourth victims was admissible at the recent trial under California Rules of Evidence which allows evidence of prior sex offenses in a current sex assault case.
The four victims who testified did not know each other and had never met nor discussed the case with each other. But their stories and accounts of assault were very similar.
On June 2, after an hour of deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts against Daugherty on the three counts alleged in the information.
Defense attorney Angelina Potter represented Sean Daugherty and Watson prosecuted the case.
At an Aug. 1 sentencing hearing, Potter asked the judge to sentence the defendant to 30 years to life, citing other court cases.
Judge Markham held the sentencing over to this week in order to consider the matter.
On Tuesday, Daugherty took the stand to speak to the court before sentencing. His comments included accusations against the judge, his attorney and the prosecution about collusion and allegations that one of the victims who testified against him at trial had perjured herself. He also kept naming the victim even when the judge admonished him not to do so.
“You’re either going to do what I tell you to do or step down. You have a choice,” Markham told Daugherty.
When Daugherty continued to argue about how the trial was handled, the judge told him, “This isn’t an appeal. You’ll be able to file an appeal in this case.”
Markham then asked Daugherty if he had anything else to say. Daugherty paused and then continued to discuss the merits of the case.
When the judge told Daugherty to step out of the witness stand, he refused. Three bailiffs then came and removed him from the witness stand and sent him back to the defense table.
Watson argued that the court should impose the maximum sentence of 45 years due to the egregiousness of Daugherty’s conduct.
In sentencing Daugherty, Markham agreed with Watson and sentenced Daugherty to the higher term, citing a high degree of cruelty and callousness and victims who were particularly vulnerable.
Markham also noted that Daugherty has a criminal record that includes five felony convictions involving unlawful sexual behavior with force and violence against four victims since 2015. Daugherty committed the most recent offenses while on probation and while under the influence of alcohol, which the judge said he has a history of abusing.
“The defendant has failed to take responsibility for his conduct,” said Markham, adding that it’s clear Daugherty will continue his conduct unless he is kept in custody.
“The people in our society deserve to be protected from Mr. Daugherty for as long as possible,” Markham said.
In imposing the tougher sentence, Markham said, “Frankly this wasn't even a close call for the court.”
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen reported the sentencing outcome to the Lakeport City Council at the end of its Tuesday night meeting.
Note: Editor/Publisher Elizabeth Larson was on the jury that convicted Daugherty in June and was present for the Aug. 1 and 15 sentencing hearings. This story is based on a news release issued by the District Attorney’s Office, with additional information reported from the sentencing hearings and the Lakeport City Council meeting.