Overview
- Stephen Vincent Chavez, 41, pleaded guilty Monday to felony incest and furnishing alcohol to a minor and was remanded into custody ahead of a June 23 sentencing.
- He faces up to three years in state prison with 20 years of sex‑offender registration, and he admitted abusing a position of trust and the victim’s vulnerability.
- Prosecutors say the assault occurred in July 2025 after Chavez bought alcohol for his 18-year-old daughter, who was hospitalized as a rape kit documented his DNA.
- The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said a team reviewed forensic, medical, and electronic evidence and concluded the law supported incest charges rather than rape.
- The victim’s mother has criticized the statutory cap on prison time, arguing the outcome undervalues the harm to her daughter, who died by suicide in December 2025.