SANTA ANA (CNS) - A Texas man was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison for breaking into a sleeping 8-year-old girl's bedroom in Santa Ana and molesting her. Dustin Lee Morgan, 39, of Texarkana, was convicted last month of lewd acts on a minor younger than 14 years old and sexual penetration of a child younger than 10, both felonies.
Morgan broke into the victim's apartment about 6 a.m. on Feb. 8, 2008. He covered her mouth while he sexually assaulted her, ``made a puppy face'' and warned her to keep quiet, according to Deputy District Attorney Courtney Thom.
The girl managed to make a ``whining noise,'' according to Thom, prompting the defendant to flee the residence through a sliding glass door. Family members heard her screaming for help and called police. In February 2015, the Santa Ana Police Department's Family Crimes Unit did further DNA analysis of evidence recovered from the crime scene, which linked Morgan to the crime, according to police and prosecutors. Under questioning by Santa Ana police, he denied ever being in the city, according to court records.
Morgan was arrested by U.S. marshals in Texarkana on March 26, 2015, and brought back to Orange County about a week later to face prosecution.