Harry Goularte, the accused molester and alleged target of gunfire by former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, has pled not guilty.
Goularte, 43, faces a felony charge of lewd acts with a minor child. He virtually joined a plea hearing Monday heard by Judge Le Jacqueline Duong in South County Morgan Hill Courthouse where his attorney Stephen DeFilippis announced in person the not guilty plea with special obligations denied.
As a result, Goularte will now have a preliminary trial hearing Sept. 20 at Santa Clara Hall of Justice in San Jose as he faces the charge carrying a sentence of up to eight years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
The judge approved a request by the district attorney’s office Goularte must be present for the hearing, a first for the defendant, who joined virtually during his first two plea hearings with DeFilippis citing safety concerns.
Judge Duong issued Goularte a criminal protective order that he must stay at least 300 yards away from the alleged victim at all times. Goularte appeared on screen, but only spoke twice at the hearing, with two-or-less word answers responding to his attorney.
According to investigators, Goularte sexually assaulted a four-year-old child at a daycare he resided at run by his mother. The child, who was later publicly identified by defense attorney Mark Geragos as Velasquez’s four-year-old son, told investigators Goularte took the child to the bathroom and touched the child’s genitals. The child said it happened “100 times” and that over children were seen going into the bathroom with Goularte.
Two days after his arrest, Goularte was granted $50,000 bail. One day later, Velasquez allegedly pursued and fired a gun at Goularte. While Goularte was not physically injured, his stepfather Paul Bender was allegedly struck by a bullet in the shoulder. Bender said in May he was still struggling with health issues and can no longer to work.
Since that day, Velasquez has remained behind bars, denied bail twice based on alleged actions Judge Sheylna Brown called “reckless.” Velasquez is due back in court for a plea hearing of his own Friday at Santa Clara Hall of Justice in San Jose. The plea hearing has already been granted two continuances.
