DAD GOT 1 YEAR IN JAIL AFTER ADMITTING INCEST WITH DAUGHTER
A Moorpark dad who admitted incest with his 18-year-old daughter got one year in county jail, and prosecutors wanted state prison. Stephen Chavez, 41, was sentenced on June 23, 2026, to one year in Ventura County Jail and three years of felony probation.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Dusty Kawai imposed the sentence, the Ventura County Star reported. Chavez had pleaded guilty on May 18, 2026, to felony incest and misdemeanor providing alcohol to a minor.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said it objected to the sentence after asking for the maximum three years in state prison.
“While we respect the court’s decision, we continue to believe a state prison sentence was warranted under the facts of this case,” Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty said in a statement.
What prosecutors said happened
Prosecutors said the young woman, identified by the DA as Makayla, was staying at Chavez’s Moorpark home in July 2025. FOX 11 identified her as Makayla Renee Settles.
The DA’s news release laid out what happened next: “After a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for himself and his daughter to consume at home. Chavez then engaged in sexual intercourse with her.”
Makayla died by suicide in December 2025, prosecutors said.
How the case played out
Chavez also admitted special allegations that he took advantage of a position of trust and that his daughter was particularly vulnerable.
Before the plea, prosecutors reviewed whether more charges, including rape, could be filed. The DA’s office said incest was the only felony charge supported by the law, the facts and admissible evidence.
At sentencing, several of Makayla’s relatives addressed the court. The DA’s office said they gave emotional victim-impact statements about the lasting trauma and the devastating loss of Makayla, as ABC7 also reported.
McCarty said in the DA’s release that Chavez “exploited his position as a father, violated his daughter’s trust, supplied her with alcohol, and engaged in criminal conduct that forever altered the course of her life.”
Makayla’s mother later took aim at Gov. Gavin Newsom over the case.
Where things stand
The court did not impose prison time. Chavez’s probation bars him from drinking alcohol, and he must register as a sex offender for 20 years, the Ventura County Star reported.
Chavez received credit for 88 days already served and will serve the one-year jail term locally.
