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Man Pleads No Contest to Lewd Act for Groping 12-Year-Old Girl in Pasadena

Published on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 | 6:31 am
 

Farris Tollette of Palmdale. [Pasadena Police Dept.]
A 57-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of groping a 12-year-old girl near a bus stop in Pasadena in November was sentenced Tuesday to three years in state prison.

Farris Tollette of Palmdale was also ordered to register as a sex offender following his no contest plea to a felony count of lewd or lascivious act on a child, according to court records.

Pasadena police said last year the girl was attacked while sitting on a bench in the 300 block of North Lake Avenue, near the Foothill (210) Freeway, around 7:25 a.m. Nov. 20.

The suspect fled on a bicycle, heading south on Lake Avenue.

Police said the girl boarded a bus moments later heading to school, where she contacted her mother.

“The victim, a Pasadena resident, was not injured. Once she arrived at school, she called her mom, who took her home, where she reported it (the alleged assault) to the police department,” police said in a statement.

Detectives later obtained surveillance video.

Tollette was arrested Nov. 23 by Pasadena police.

He has remained behind bars since then, jail records show.

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