UPLAND, Calf. – A 24-year-old Upland man was convicted of charges stemming from a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.
Andrew Gabriel Coronado was arrested on May 10, 2019, at around 4:38 p.m. in the area of Campus Avenue and Mesa Court in the City of Upland. The mother of the young teen said that she learned of the relationship when her daughter went missing from their Upland home. She did not understand why her young daughter had left home since there were no out of the ordinary issues at home. “When she ran away, we found a lockbox with her journal in it,” said her mother, who will remain anonymous to protect the victim. “Her journal detailed how they had a relationship for all that time and all of the awful stuff she had gone through.”
The victim’s mother said that prior to the discovery, Coronado was a very close family friend who had been treated like family for many years. He was at their home for holidays and for frequent visits. She was unaware of the relationship that began when her daughter had just turned 14-years-old in the summer of 2018. Prior to leaving home, the victim began having a difficult time mentally and ended up at the hospital after attempting suicide.
“He was with me by her side in the ER until she was transferred to a behavioral facility,” explained the victim’s mother. She said that she believed that it was because he was such a close family friend, but now she believes he was making sure that she would not tell. “I watched her decline emotionally for months and had no clue why. He would just show up at our family functions happily hanging out with us while she was struggling and keeping their secret.”
Although he was arrested for Cruelty to Child, Sexual Penetration of Victim under 16, Oral Copulation of Person Under 14, and Contact with Minor with Intent to Engage in Sexual Activity, he was only charged with Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a minor under 16. On May 22, 2019, he pleaded no contest to the charge and he will return to court on June 20, 2019, for sentencing where he is expected to be sentenced to 18 months in jail.
The victim’s mother said that she was told that since her daughter had turned 14-years-old at the time of the illicit sexual relationship, he will not be ordered to register as a sex offender. She said that she wants to warn other parents that he frequents the Downtown Upland area, where he walks around, goes to bars, and goes to coffee shops. “She has had a really difficult time, it has affected our whole family,” she said. “All of my children were close to him and trusted him.”
