Crime & Safety
UPDATED: Ex-Band Coach Convicted of Molesting Murrieta Teen
The Murrieta man was convicted of molesting a 15-year-old member of the Vista Murrieta Golden Alliance Marching Band.
*Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional details from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office about the outcome of the trial.
A former Vista Murrieta High School band instructor accused of making sexual advances to a 15-year-old student and showing him pornography has been found guilty on all charges, district attorney officials tell Patch.
Garrett Bayly Karlin, 25, was sentenced Friday to 240 days in county jail and three years of summary probation in connection to three misdemeanor charges of annoying or molesting a child under 18 years old, Riverside County District Attorney Spokesman John Hall said.
It took the jury just an hour and 20 minutes to return their verdict.
Karlin had remained free on $3,500 bail since shortly after his 2012 arrest, but he was taken into custody following his conviction at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta to begin serving his time.
The man will now be labeled a sex offender for life.
"He must register as a sex offender for life and undergo counseling as directed by the Probation Department," Hall said. "He was ordered to have no contact with the victim or anyone under 18 not related to him during the time on probation."
According to Murrieta police, Karlin developed a relationship with a Vista Murrieta High School band member last year when he began giving the boy one-on-one music lessons.
Karlin had met the student while working part-time for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District as a summer band camp coach, a position he no
longer holds.
During private encounters with the victim, Karlin allegedly made inappropriate suggestions and showed him sexually explicit material, according to police.
The alleged incidents came to light in November, leading to an investigation that culminated in Karlin's arrest on Nov. 20, 2012 at his Rovendale Court home.
Karlin was initially jailed on suspicion of 20 counts of sexual battery, 20 counts of annoying or molesting a child and one count of distributing harmful matter to a minor, Murrieta police said about his Nov. 20 arrest.
A former Vista Murrieta High School band instructor accused of making sexual advances to a 15-year-old student and showing him pornography has been found guilty on all charges, district attorney officials tell Patch.
Garrett Bayly Karlin, 25, was sentenced Friday to 240 days in county jail and three years of summary probation in connection to three misdemeanor charges of annoying or molesting a child under 18 years old, Riverside County District Attorney Spokesman John Hall said.
It took the jury just an hour and 20 minutes to return their verdict.
Karlin had remained free on $3,500 bail since shortly after his 2012 arrest, but he was taken into custody following his conviction at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta to begin serving his time.
The man will now be labeled a sex offender for life.
"He must register as a sex offender for life and undergo counseling as directed by the Probation Department," Hall said. "He was ordered to have no contact with the victim or anyone under 18 not related to him during the time on probation."
According to Murrieta police, Karlin developed a relationship with a Vista Murrieta High School band member last year when he began giving the boy one-on-one music lessons.
Karlin had met the student while working part-time for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District as a summer band camp coach, a position he no
longer holds.
During private encounters with the victim, Karlin allegedly made inappropriate suggestions and showed him sexually explicit material, according to police.
The alleged incidents came to light in November, leading to an investigation that culminated in Karlin's arrest on Nov. 20, 2012 at his Rovendale Court home.
Karlin was initially jailed on suspicion of 20 counts of sexual battery, 20 counts of annoying or molesting a child and one count of distributing harmful matter to a minor, Murrieta police said about his Nov. 20 arrest.
Murrieta police detectives submitted the case to the DA’s office, which then weighed the evidence presented.
“In general, what a person is arrested on suspicion of sometimes does not end up being what they may be charged with after we review the evidence,” said Hall in Jan. 2013. “We charge based on the evidence we review and the best way we believe to move forward with the case.”
– City News Service and Maggie Avants contributed to this report.
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