Serial child molester gets 29 years

Whether it was an additional 29 years in prison, or the story of the lives he’s shattered, nothing seemed to faze a repeat child molester from Costa Mesa on Friday as he faced sentencing for abusing a 4-year-old relative.

While the victim’s mother pleaded to Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick H. Donahue to give Dennis James Ward, 45, the maximum sentence, Ward sat at the defendant’s table, bickering with his attorney.

“I regard Dennis as a monster, not an animal. I happen to like animals,” the boy’s mother told the court. “Our lives have been destroyed.”

Donahue sentenced Ward to the maximum 29-year sentence, adding that “if Mr. Ward’s ever released, he would molest people again.”

Ward had abused his relative at his Costa Mesa home after he’d taken the boy on trips to the amusement park. Before that case, Ward molested boys whom he approached in parks and in public restrooms.

The words of his victim’s mother, such as “I grieve for my son’s lost dreams ... his trust in his parents’ ability to protect him is shattered,” and “I grieve for our loss of piece of mind,” did not capture Ward’s attention Friday.

Instead, Ward audibly argued with his attorney, Deputy Alternate Defender Ray Chen, about his case. Ward continued to claim that the statute of limitations to prosecute him for abusing his young male relative had long expired.

“He’s irrational in what his perception of what the law is,” Chen said outside the courtroom. “He has very apparent mental health issues.”

Ward was convicted last month of molesting a male relative between 1990 and 1992, when the victim was 4 to 6 years old. Because the abuse involved a minor, the 10-year statute of limitations to prosecute the crime did not apply, Chen said. As long as prosecutors filed charges within a year of the victim coming forward, Ward could be held accountable, he said.

Chen said Ward still refuses to take responsibility and denies he’s molested anyone.