Jury convicts Susanville man on multiple sexual assault charges

A Susanville man convicted on multiple sexual assault charges could spend the rest of his life or at least a large portion of it behind bars.

According to a statement from the Lassen County District Attorney’s Office, a jury in Lassen County Superior Court convicted Ngirmang Yoach, 38, of Susanville, of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 and two counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14. His sentencing is set for May 30, where he could receive a sentence of 15-years-to-life for each count of aggravated sexual assault, as well as additional penalties for the other counts and enhancements for which he was convicted.

In the statement, the district attorney’s office cited several reasons behind this successful prosecution — especially the courage of the young survivor.

“In this case, unlike in so many others, we were fortunate to have forensic evidence,” according to the statement. “But without doubt, this conviction was only made possible by the courage of the young survivor who found the strength to come to court, face her abuser and tell her story through her tears to the jury. We will continue to offer her support in her recovery through our Victim Advocacy and Child Advocacy units.

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“This conviction is important as we head into April which is both Child Abuse Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We thank the jury for their time and consideration this week in listening to this survivor’s voice and sending both her and other survivors like her the message that their voices matter.”

Lassen County District Attorney Susan M. Rios prosecuted the case with assistance from Lassen County Victim Witness Services, the multi-disciplinary interview team from the Mikailia Child Advocacy Center, District Attorney Investigations and the Susanville Police Department.d