A jury convicted a man late Wednesday who was charged with a former girlfriend of having a young girl engage in sex acts with them beginning in 2013.
Andres Guerra, 48, of Hammond, was found guilty on two counts of child molesting. He faces decades in prison.
His sentencing is at 11 a.m. Nov. 21 before Judge Gina Jones.
His ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Alvarado, 35, is scheduled to go on trial Nov. 3 for one count of child molesting.
The victim testified Tuesday.
She told East Chicago Police that Guerra molested her in two separate homes starting when she was 10 or 11, which began with Guerra touching her inappropriately as she slept, an affidavit alleges.
Over time, Alvarado joined in the sexual abuse, which ended around October 2015, records state. It was something the victim tried to block out, but later told a teacher at school.
Defense lawyer John Cantrell said Thursday he believed there wasn’t corroborating evidence.
He argued in a pretrial hearing Monday that the victim made up the accusations after an alleged fist fight with Alvarado on Oct. 30, 2015. Alvarado pleaded guilty in that case and got one year on probation.
Deputy Prosecutor Michael Stewart and Arturo Balcazar were assigned.
Lake County marriage license filings and election records show he married Mellissa Guerra in 2019, who is a Hammond school board member.
Hammond School Board President Carlotta Blake-King did not respond to a request for comment on how the conviction could affect his wife’s work.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
mcolias@post-trib.com
