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Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008

Mug shot gets sex offender return trip to jail

Boy, girl, ages 10 and 11, report abuse after seeing suspect in paper.

A man who pleaded guilty to sex crimes involving a teenage girl earlier this year is now accused of molesting two other children.

George Allen Leavitt was arrested Friday on suspicion of molesting a 10-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl, Merced County Sheriff's Department spokesman Tom MacKenzie said.

The 32-year-old Le Grand resident was taken into custody at his job near Sandy Mush and Bliss roads after the youths told family members they'd been sexually abused by Leavitt.

MacKenzie said the children came forward after a story appeared in the Sun-Star about a case involving Leavitt. He pleaded guilty last month to a crime that included sending naked pictures of himself by cell phone to a 14-year-old girl.

After his arrest Friday, Leavitt was booked on suspicion of five felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under age 14. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Merced County Superior Court today.

Because of the sensitive nature of the case, MacKenzie said he couldn't elaborate on how Leavitt knew the alleged victims, disclosing only that the youths said the crimes happened between January and March this year.

The plea agreement Leavitt had signed with prosecutors earlier this year would have required him to serve six months in Merced County Jail, register as a sex offender and attend sex offender treatment classes, according to the Merced County District Attorney's Office.

Leavitt was scheduled to report to jail Aug. 26 to begin serving his sentence. If found guilty of the latest allegations, however, he could face between 25 years and life in prison.

Before Leavitt's most recent arrest, he was taken into custody in February after the victim's mother discovered pictures of Leavitt in her daughter's wallet.

It was eventually revealed that Leavitt had sent naked photographs of himself to the victim via cell phone. Investigators said they also uncovered love letters between Leavitt and the girl.

Police say the victim told them she believed Leavitt intended to marry her when she turned 18.

Under his previous plea agreement, Leavitt admitted to a misdemeanor charge of annoying or molesting a child.

He's being held at the John Latorraca Correctional Center in lieu of $5 million bail.

Reporter Victor A. Patton can be reached at (209) 385-2431 or vpatton@mercedsun-star.com.