After three years of hiding, a man who faked his own death to evade justice was sentenced to 10 years in prison for molesting a child in his Lake Forest home. Daniel Farinholt, 45, was convicted of continuous sexual abuse and three counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14.
Between September 1, 1997 and June 30, 2000, Farinholt was a resident of Lake Forest and repeatedly molested a little girl, Jane Doe, in his home. After molestation charges were brought against him, Farinholt moved to Manhattan Beach, closer to his El Segundo office where he worked as a computer executive. Farinholt failed to show up for a court appearance in June 2002, and his rented boat was later found a quarter mile off the coast of El Segundo, smeared with blood. His car was discovered abandoned nearby. Investigators believed that Farinholt had cut himself and dripped blood on the boat to fake his death and avoid the consequences of his crime.
In January 2005, after two years of evading the law, Farinholt was arrested in Boise, Idaho. He was living under the fake name Donald Dudley and working for a computer company. Boise Police received a tip regarding the whereabouts of Farinholt after he was featured on the television show Americas Most Wanted. He was extradited to Orange County to finally face charges for sexually assaulting Doe.
Farinholt pleaded guilty in July 2006 and was senteced to 10 yeares in state prison.
