đ¨đł PROSECUTORS PUSHED FOR THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE â BUT THE COURT CHOSE A DIFFERENT PATH
Posted by Team - June 24, 2026
Warning: This story discusses suicide.
A Moorpark man was sentenced on Tuesday to a year in jail and three years of probation for felony incest and misdemeanor providing alcohol to a minor in an incident that involved his biological daughter, who later took her own life.
41-year-old Stephen Vincent Chavez previously pleaded guilty on May 18. The Ventura County District Attorneyâs Office said he also admitted to taking advantage of a position of trust and that the victim was particularly vulnerable.
He will serve his year-long sentence at the Ventura County Jail, followed by a three-year felony probation period, according to the DAâs office.
The investigation into Chavez began in July 2025 when his 18-year-old biological daughter Makayla was staying with him at his Moorpark residence.
âAfter a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for him and his daughter to drink at home,â Ventura County DAâs officials said. âChavez then engaged in SŃxual intercourse with her.â
Makayla later committed suicide in December 2025, the DAâs office elaborated. Providing further details on the case, Ventura County Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty explained that Makayla had âplaced her trust and well-being in [Chavezâs] careâ by moving from North Carolina to California to start a new life with him.
In a media release issued Tuesday, VCDA officials said prosecutors objected to the courtâs sentence and requested the maximum sentence allowed by law: three years in state prison.
âThe People requested the maximum three-year state prison sentence because the defendant exploited his position as a father, violated his daughterâs trust, supplied her with alcohol, and engaged in criminal conduct that forever altered the course of her life,â Deputy District Attorney McCarty said in the release. âWhile we respect the courtâs decision, we continue to believe a state prison sentence was warranted under the facts of this case.â
Authorities further noted that, prior to the entering of guilty pleas, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko directed the officeâs most experienced prosecutors to conduct a comprehensive review of whether additional charges, including rape, could be filed.
âInvestigators and prosecutors performed additional interviews, obtained and reviewed the results of new forensic testing and medical evaluations, and carefully analyzed electronic evidence,â the DAâs Office said. âA team of ten prosecutors within the District Attorneyâs Office reviewed the evidence and findings. The office also consulted with experienced prosecutors and legal experts from another county. After this extensive review, all concluded that incest was the only felony charge supported by the law, facts and admissible evidence.â
If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or calling 911 in an emergency.
â Team
Warning: This story discusses suicide. A Moorpark man was sentenced on Tuesday to a year in jail and three years of probation for felony incest and misdemeanorâŚ