30-year-old sex offender sentenced for trying to hug young girl

30-year-old sex offender sentenced for trying to hug young girl

A 30-year-old registered sex offender was sentenced Wednesday to a year in jail for trying to hug an 11-year-old Bakersfield girl.

Prosecutors say Jaylen Cates approached the girl outdoors last November and said, “Come here and give me a hug so I can keep you warm.”

A bystander stepped in and told the girl to stay near her while another witness called police.

Cates was arrested in May and was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of annoying or molesting a child.

He was on probation at the time of the incident.