Editor’s Note: This story will be updated.
A Moorpark man has been sentenced to one year in Ventura County jail followed by three years of probation after he admitted to sexually assaulting his daughter.
Stephen Chavez, 41, previously pleaded guilty to one count of incest and one count of providing alcohol to a minor and admitted to the special allegations that he took advantage of a position of trust and that the victim was vulnerable, court records show.
The charges stem from a July 2025 incident when Chavez purchased alcohol for himself and his 18-year-old daughter to drink and then had sexual intercourse with her, prosecutors said.
The victim, Makayla Settles, died by suicide in December.
The June 23 sentencing in Ventura County Superior Court began with several of Settles’ family members reading victim impact statements and condemning Chavez for the harm his actions caused. Settles’ loved ones, as well as Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty, asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence of three years in state prison.
“I can feel the anger, and I can feel the frustration,” Judge Dusty Kawai said. “I can sense the injustice that you feel, and I understand.”
Kawai, however, said he could not impose the maximum allowable sentence because of Chavez’s lack of previous criminal history.
Chavez will also be required to register as a sex offender for 20 years.
Chavez and his attorney, Andrea Keith, did not make any statements during the hearing.
Makena Huey is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at makena.huey@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Moorpark man gets less than maximum for daughter’s sexual assault
Reporting by Makena Huey, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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By Makena Huey, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
