BRIEFLY IN
THE NEWS
Veches jury may begin deliberations
Jury deliberations are expected to begin today in the trial of the
former Newport Beach recreation coordinator accused of sucking the
toes of several young boys enrolled in the city's after-school
programs.
Trenton Veches, 32, was expected to testify in his defense, but he
did not take the stand. Defense attorney John Dolan had said when the
trial began that his client "wanted to tell his side of the story."
Dolan has argued that Veches sucked or bit the children's feet,
but that it was not for sexual gratification. The prosecution rested
its case Wednesday morning. The defense was done by Wednesday
afternoon. The trial began a week ago.
The prosecution put several boys on the stand who testified that
Veches had sucked their toes and taken digital photographs of their
feet.
Veches faces 25 felony counts of lewd contact with minors and one
misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography. He pleaded guilty
to the misdemeanor and not guilty on the felonies. He initially faced
28 felony charges, but some of those were dropped before the trial,
officials said.
Veches quit his job after the allegations. If convicted, he faces
a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of
parole for at least 25 years.
The attorneys will present their closing arguments this morning.
-- Deepa Bharath
