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District attorney names a third molestation victim
By Gloria I. Wang
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's office, which has charged Lee Thomas Bjorn with molesting two young girls in Los Gatos more than 20 years ago, has added one more alleged victim to its case.
Bjorn, 54, who was recognized and arrested at the Los Gatos post office, was arraigned Dec. 31 on a 12th count of sex offenses. Deputy District Attorney Chuck Gillingham formally charged Bjorn, a contractor, for his alleged sexual crimes with a Campbell girl in the 1970s. At the time, the girl was 3 or 4 years old.
Bjorn was arrested in February 2001 for the 1970s crimes against two victims, after a profile on Bjorn aired on the television show "America's Most Wanted." Of the two alleged victims, one is Bjorn's biological daughter, while another is a neighbor whose mother dated Bjorn.
At a Dec. 17 preliminary hearing, investigator Marty Krauel, from the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's office, testified on behalf of the three victims. According to Krauel, he had been investigating Bjorn for similar crimes in Santa Cruz County and contacted Bjorn's son, who told him about the suspected molestation in Santa Clara County, including that of his own sister.
Krauel then interviewed Bjorn's 34-year-old daughter, known simply as Tracy. Tracy told Krauel that she had visited her father for the first time when she was 7 years old, in 1974. At that time, she was living in Southern California, and Bjorn was living on Loma Alta Avenue in Los Gatos. The first molestation occurred when Tracy was in the shower, she told Krauel, and ended only when Bjorn's girlfriend came home.
According to Krauel, Tracy said her father took her on several trips to Southern California and Yosemite, with the most recent trip in 1977. Each trip allegedly included some form of sexual contact between the two. When Tracy was 12 years old, the visits with Bjorn stopped after she begged her mother not to make her go back.
Krauel also spoke with 34-year-old Elena, Bjorn's former neighbor, who was the second victim. Elena met Bjorn when she was 6 years old and living with her mother and sister. Shortly thereafter, her mother began dating Bjorn, and the molestation began, Elena told Krauel. Although they stopped dating in 1978, the alleged molestation occurred until 1979.
At the suggestion of Bjorn's sons, Krauel got in touch with a third victim--Katie, now 27. When Krauel called Katie, she cried on the phone, Krauel said. Katie told Krauel that her family had met Bjorn when he remodeled their Campbell home. When Katie was 3 or 4, one sexual incident took place at her house. Additional alleged molestation occurred after Katie and her mother--who also dated Bjorn--moved to Santa Cruz County. From those accusations, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney has charged Bjorn with 12 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor.
At the hearing, Krauel confirmed that each of the victims had not reported the molestations to law enforcement authorities prior to 2000. It was only after Krauel contacted each of the victims that law enforcement heard about the cases. Therefore, a statute of limitations would not apply to the cases, since they were acted on within one year of being reported.
Based on the evidence provided, Santa Clara County Judge Robert Ambrose determined that Bjorn's case could proceed to a formal trial. The trial is scheduled for Jan. 28. Ambrose also denied Bjorn's request for bail.
According to Krauel, Bjorn's trial in Santa Cruz County is tentatively set for March.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
