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In an eight-day jury trial, Gabriel Elena Lopez, 36, was convicted of nine criminal charges for sexual contact he had with two girls 7 and 16 years old between 2011 and 2014 in Napa County. (Shutterstock)
NAPA, CA A Napa man was convicted Thursday of molesting his two young stepdaughters, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced in a news release.
Jurors found Gabriel Elena Lopez, 36, guilty of nine criminal charges and eight special allegations, including forcible rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object, forcible oral copulation of a minor, two counts of forcible lewd act upon a child, three counts of lewd act upon a child, and one count of contact with a minor for a sexual offense.
Today, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, thatâs completely changed.
To reduce the number of people in county courtrooms, Zoom access has been added to every Napa courtroom, enabling those involved in cases to appear remotely, whether one or 1,000 miles away.
It also led to something else.
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Anyone with a smartphone or laptop can now log in via Zoom and watch real court proceedings in real time. Think of it as Napaâs own version of âCourt TV.â
âThe challenges of the pandemic were unprecedented,â said Bob Fleshman, CEO of the Superior Court of Napa County. âIt came down to access to justice,â he said. âIf we didnât pivot to a digital environment with remote capabilities, we wouldnât be able to serve the community.â