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Man who assaulted teen had a disease

Gregory Crofton

A South Lake Tahoe man had hepatitis C when he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl during a sleepover at his home in March.

A El Dorado County Superior Court judge decided Thursday to send Michael Meador, a former employee at Horizon Casino Resort, for 90 days of diagnostic testing at a prison before he issues a sentence.

The diagnostic testing is expected to provide more information for a probation report on Meador. The report is reviewed by a judge at sentencing and helps the judge determine what type of punishment is best for the defendant.



The 90-day period may also allow the court to learn the results of a series of medical tests the girl must go through, which could affect Meador’s sentence, said Judge Jerald Lasarow.

If the girl is found to have contracted hepatitis C, the felony charge Meador has pleaded to will not change, but prosecutors will consider additional charges especially if Meador knew he had the virus when he engaged in risky behavior, said El Dorado County Assistant District Attorney Hans Uthe.



Hepatitis C is a virus that can produce liver disease that can be fatal. In tests already conducted, doctors have not found any signs of the virus, the girl’s mother said. It is rare for the virus to spread as a result of sex, according to the Center For Disease Control.

Meador, 42, has admitted that he had sex with the girl around 3 a.m. on March 31. He said in a statement that he doesn’t remember his assault of the girl because he was drunk, said El Dorado County Deputy District Attorney Tony Sears.

The girl had been invited to his house by Meador’s daughters, ages 12 and 13, for a sleepover. Meador committed the act in a room where the three girls were sleeping, police said. The victim told her mother about the assault the next day.

In May, Meador pleaded no contest to a charge of performing lewd and lascivious acts. He faces a sentence of up to eight years in prison.

He is also required to register as a sex offender in any county he lives in. His plea means he has a strike on his record, which increases the time he must serve if ever convicted of another crime.

The mother of the 13-year-old girl was present at Thursday’s hearing. She said she wants Meador to get the harshest possible prison sentence.

“He’s just slime,” said the girl’s mother after the hearing. “I don’t care how much alcohol you drink. He has no clue what he has done to my daughter. I want him off the street, away from other kids.”


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