Pedro Elmer Campos, a 34-year-old Santa Ana man, was sentenced Thursday to 18 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting a little boy repeatedly for two years, starting when the victim was 8.

Campos struck a plea deal with the OCDA on Oct. 11, when he plead guilty to felony charges including oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years or younger and lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under 14.

The plea deal including dismissal of two felony counts of sexual intercourse or sodomy with a child 10 or younger and one felony count of oral copulation of a child 10 or younger.

Campos was able to make his plea deal as his case was heading for trail. He was facing 80 years to life if he was convicted on all charges.

The SAPD found out about the 2009 assaults in March of 2019 according to OCDA Deputy District Attorney Christina Warden.

The victim said he was sexually assaulted by Campos and his younger brother for years when he and his mother lived in Santa Ana. That younger brother, Victor Daniel Campos, 31, was initially also charged but the prosecutor had to dismiss the charges when it was discovered that he was a juvenile when the victim was sexually assaulted.

The victim and his mother lived in a garage attached to a home at 1044 E. Richland Ave. during the attacks. The little boy would stay in the garage alone when his mom would go to work. She thought the homeowner was looking after her little boy.

Unbeknownst to the victim’s mom, Pedro Campos, the son of the homeowner, turned out to be a sexual predator. He started the assaults after visiting the little boy and offering him a chance to play on his portable PlayStation game.

The victim kept the assaults to himself as he was scared that the defendant would tell an adult and that he and his mom would get kicked out of the garage. The victim and his mom were very poor and had nowhere else to go. The victim felt wrong and dirty and ashamed but he was scared that defendant would tell someone, and they would think he and his mom were bad.

The little boy was sexually assault by Camps about three times a week, often during the summer months during school breaks and on weekends when no one else was home. Then the attacks escalated as Campos’ brother Victor began to assault the victim as well.