A 43-year-old man accused of sexual assaulting a teenage girl in 2005 pleaded not guilty on May 5, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Jeffrey Hideki Yoshitake of Monterey Park was arraigned on five felony counts of lewd act upon a child. The defendant appeared at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Alhambra before Judge Shala Sabet.
Prosecutors said Yoshitake allegedly molested a 15-year-old girl between April and August 2005. The victim, now an adult, came forward to police and disclosed the sexual assaults on Feb. 27.
The next day, authorities arrested the defendant in connection with the crimes. Yoshitake then bonded out on $100,000 bail.
The defendant’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 2 for a preliminary hearing setting at the Alhambra Courthouse in Department 5.
If convicted as charged, Yoshitake faces a maximum sentence of five years and 8 months in state prison.
The case is being investigated by the Monterey Park Police Department.