EL CAJON, Calif.—Two homeless registered sex offenders accused of engaging in sex acts with a 16-year-old girl at an El Cajon motel pleaded not guilty March 22 to a series of felonies.
Lawrence Cantrell, 34, and Michael Inman, 70, were arrested last week after an employee of homeless services provider People Assisting the Homeless told police that Cantrell had admitted to sex acts with a minor.
According to the El Cajon Police Department, Cantrell admitted that Inman brought the girl to Cantrell’s motel room.
Inman was later arrested and allegedly admitted that he and Cantrell committed sex acts upon the minor, as well as at least two other underage girls in the prior week.
Cantrell also had a “sexually explicit” video on his phone of Inman with an underage girl, police said.
Police said that prior to the sexual acts, Cantrell repeatedly questioned the girl about her age “because he believed her to be a juvenile.”
Deputy District Attorney Clayton Carr said Inman initially claimed that he believed the girl was an adult, but later, he mistakenly admitted to police that he had propositioned the girl for marriage but said, “I would have to wait until she’s 18 before we get married.”
Both men are registered sex offenders, with Inman having a criminal history of sex offenses dating back to 1978.
Inman faces up to 56 years to life in prison if convicted of felony counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, oral copulation of a minor, possession of child pornography, and employment of a minor to perform prohibited acts.
Cantrell faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of oral copulation of a minor, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, possession of child pornography, and meth possession.
Both men were ordered held without bail following Wednesday’s court appearance.
The arrests added a spark to an ongoing debate in the East County city regarding the county’s voucher program for the homeless.
The El Cajon City Council this week discussed the possibility of imposing a 90-day moratorium on new vouchers, along with a number of other proposals intended to address a reported uptick in crime at El Cajon’s motels.
According to the city, “at least eight motels were being occupied by 50 percent or more with formerly homeless individuals from outside of El Cajon who were relying on housing assistance through one of many programs.”
City officials also previously threatened hotels with fines if they did not reduce the number of homeless people residing at their hotels.
However, those warning notices sent to local hotels were rescinded following a letter from California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, which claimed that they “constitute unlawful discrimination” and could open the city up to litigation.
