Man sentenced in sexual assault on child

A parolee was sentenced Friday to 55 years to life in state prison for sexually assaulting a 4-year-old female relative while babysitting her, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Gordon Ray Bodkin, 47, of Huntington Beach, was found guilty July 23 by an Orange County Superior Court jury of one felony count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and one felony count of sexual penetration of a child under 10.

On the evening of Aug. 9, 2011, Bodkin was alone in a Huntington Beach home with the girl when he sexually assaulted her, according to the district attorney’s office, which offered this account: The child’s father arrived home about 5:30 p.m. and found the girl naked on a bed and Bodkin naked from the waist down, straddling her. The defendant grabbed his clothing and ran from the home.

The Huntington Beach Police Department, which investigated the case, released a news release seeking the public’s help locating the defendant. Bodkin was arrested Aug. 15, 2011, after returning to his Huntington Beach apartment.

In 2009, Bodkin was convicted on a burglary charge.

— Alicia Lopez

Twitter: @ALopezCityEd