Redding Child Molester Gets Lengthy Sentence

A 49-year-old Shasta County man might be behind bars for the rest of his life after being convicted of committing lewd acts on four different underage victims. Lester Paul Elsey was arrested in March at his Redding area home. He was in possession of numerous guns, which were prohibited due to prior felony convictions. In December of last year the Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into sexual abuse allegations against Elsey, and learned that the abuse occurred in 2021 at a home on Collyer Drive. The victim was 15-years-old at the time. During an interview it was learned that a second girl had been molested by Elsey when she was 13-years-old. In the weeks that followed, 2 more victims were discovered. In September Elsey entered guilty pleas to multiple charges, including lewd acts against all four victims. Tuesday Elsey was sentenced to more than 45 years in state prison