Yreka man gets 28 years in prison for molesting 2 children

Damon Arthur
Redding Record Searchlight
Justice, courts

A Yreka man was sentenced to 28 years in prison Tuesday for molesting two children under the age of 14.

In addition to the prison time, Robert Jackson Lobnow, 45, was also ordered to pay $500,000 to his two victims to help compensate them for their "pain, suffering, emotional distress, injury to their reputation and humiliation," according to a Siskiyou County District Attorney's Office news release.

Lobnow agreed to the prison term and pleaded guilty in April to four counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under the age of 14, the DA's office said. 

The crimes were considered "forcible" because Lobnow threatened to kill or injure the childrens' loved ones if they told anyone that he abused them, officials said.

The two victims, along with family, were in court for sentencing Tuesday. Their mother and grandmother both spoke about the emotional damage and violation of trust inflicted upon the two children, officials said.

The children suffer from "communication, trust, anger issues and lack of self-worth" because of the crimes, the DA's office said.

Lobnow was indicted by a grand jury in August 2021 and was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Melissa Whetstine.

District Attorney Kirk Andrus noted that because there were mulitple victims and the nature of the sexual crimes, Lobnow could have been sentenced to life in prison, had he not agreed to the 28 years.

During sentencing, Siskiyou County Superior Court Judge Karen Dixon noted Lobnow had abused the two over a long period and awarded the restitution amounts to the victims.

In addition to the $250,000 awarded to each victim, "authorities are authorized by law to divert 20% to 50%" of Lobnow's property and income to the victims, officials said. 

Andrus said the restitution was not part of Lobnow's plea deal in April but was part of a contested action asked for by his office.

He said that unfortunately, the Lobnow case was not that unusual.

"I've been prosecuting child sexual abuse cases for two decades, and I am continually shocked by how many there are. We've got a dozen or more of those in the system at any given time," Andrus said.

Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environment reporter. He is part of a team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834 by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!