A local entrepreneur is set to stand trial next month, facing serious allegations of raping a young child, threatening deportation to silence the victim, and sexually abusing two of his nieces.
Court documents from San Luis Obispo County reveal that Jesús Rosales Morales, the owner of Golden State Tree Service, has a trial setting conference scheduled for August 13, 2026, with the trial itself expected to start later in the month.
Morales faces one count of forcible rape and two counts of lewd acts against a child. If he is found guilty, he could face a minimum sentence ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment, especially given the multiple victims involved.
The most grave allegations relate to an incident from 2010. Reports indicate that Morales visited his brother’s home and asked if his young niece could spend the night with him. The victim did not disclose the events of that night to her family for over a decade.
It wasn’t until some unrelated legal matters regarding their uncle were discussed that Morales’ sister-in-law learned about what happened. She recounted that her now-20-year-old daughter mentioned that Morales had assaulted her years earlier, stating, “He did it differently than me.”
Fear played a significant role; the victim mentioned she stayed silent due to Morales’ threats to deport her father, who was a legal immigrant at that time. Once Morales’ actions came to light, the victim’s mother contacted her husband at work, urging him to return home. Tragically, he suffered a heart attack before he could leave, leading to a stroke that resulted in permanent vision loss, according to family reports. Eventually, both mother and daughter reported the 2010 assault, resulting in a felony rape charge.
Aside from the rape charge, Morales is also accused of sexually abusing two other nieces from different parts of his extended family.
In 2024, one niece came forward, stating that Morales had fondled her in 2017 when she was under 14. Subsequently, another niece alleged that he engaged in lewd acts with her and forced her to kiss him at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles in July 2021, when she was around 14 or 15.
All three victims are now adults and pursuing higher education.
