Man Faces 3 Years For Lewd Acts At Knott's Berry Farm

SANTA ANA (AP) — A Southern California man is facing a more than three-year prison sentence for rubbing up against girls at a water park.

Orange County prosecutor Mark Birney says 32-year-old Omar Martinez was convicted Monday of lewd acts upon a teenage girl and attempted lewd acts on other girls in August 2009 at Knott's Berry Farm's Soak City in Buena Park.

The Downey man will be sentenced June 17.

Birney tells the Orange County Register that parents of two girls pulled their daughters from the Tidal Wave pool after they became concerned about Martinez's activities.

A 15-year-old girl says Martinez rubbed against her as the waves pushed them back and forth.

Defense lawyer David Cohn argued during the weeklong trial that any touching was accidental and caused by the action of the waves.

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