BC man sentenced to 17 years for molestation

A Boulder Creek man arrested on charges of molesting a child in his care was sentenced this week.
Ronald Eugene McDougal, 53, was given a maximum sentence of 17 years, eight months in state prison for the long-term sexual abuse and intimidation of the girl, who was 11 when he first molested her, according to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office.
He must serve at least 15 years before he could be considered for parole.
His wife, Faith McDougal, 57, pleaded guilty to a charge of witness intimidation and a count of child endangerment last month. She faces three years in state prison and will be sentenced later this month.
Faith McDougal is the girl’s grandmother by blood, and Ronald McDougal is her grandfather by marriage.
The girl, who recently turned 13, now lives with relatives out of state and is in counseling. She and her three siblings were in the McDougals’ care because their father is dead and their mother is incarcerated.
The other three children also have been placed with relatives elsewhere.
An investigation began last winter after the girl told a teacher about the sexual abuse. The McDougals were arrested in early January.