The Shasta County’s District Attorney is thanking the community for helping prevent the early prison release of a convicted child predator. A parole hearing was held on Friday that could have resulted in the release of Robert Barber. He was convicted in 2000 by Senior Deputy District Attorney Kelly Kafel, who says he would spend years gaining the trust of young boys and their families until he found opportunities to sexually abuse them. Barber sexually assaulted countless young victims in Shasta County for decades until one of them finally spoke up. Barber then fled to Mexico and was eventually captured and returned after appearing on the TV program “America’s Most Wanted”. Six victims testified against Barber during his trial, resulting in 32 counts of child molestation and a sentence of over 50 years in prison. He was eligible for early release under California’s “Elder Parole Program” simply due to his age and the number of years he’s served. DA Stephanie Bridgett urged people to write letters expressing their opposition, and more than 50 letters were received by the parole board. That added to testimony at the hearing from Kafel and one of the surviving victims and the board completely reversed the ruling that would have set Barber free.
-Steve Gibson