Morro Bay man could spend life in prison for sexually assaulting children

A Morro Bay man could spend the rest of his life in prison for sexually assaulting children, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.

A San Luis Obispo jury found Elderjairus Stomtomas Belen, 33, guilty of 11 felony counts of engaging in sex acts with a child under age 14, the agency said in a news release Wednesday.

According to the release, Belen sexually abused two children over a five-year period.

The abuse started in November 2013 when Belen was 23 and the children were under age 10, and continued until December 2018, when Belen was 28, the release said.

Both victims testified against Belen during the trial with the support of Edgar, the courthouse facility dog, according to the release. Edgar’s handlers are senior District Attorney’s Office investigator Tim Murphy and Jennifer Love, assistant director of the San Luis Obispo County Victim Witness Assistance Program.

“We thank the jury for their focused attention in this very sensitive and emotional case,” San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release. “The two young survivors demonstrated remarkable courage by reporting the crimes and testifying in the trial necessary to bring this predator to justice.

“We are optimistic that this conviction will encourage victims of sexual assault to report the conduct to law enforcement.”

Belen is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1 at 8:30 a.m. in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, the release said.

He faces a maximum sentence of 275 years to life in state prison.

The case was investigated by the Morro Bay Police Department with the aid of the District Attorney’s Office’s Bureau of Investigation, the release said. Deputy District Attorney Kimberly R. Dittrich of the Sexual Assault Prosecution Team prosecuted the case.