San Benito County man pleads not guilty to molesting Grover girl

Robert James Thysell, 58, a longtime friend of the girl’s mother, could face nine years in prison

By Leslie Parrilla

A man from San Benito County is being held on suspicion of molesting a Grover Beach girl whose family he had befriended.

Robert James Thysell, 58, pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony committing a lewd act on a child under age 14. He also pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor developing, duplicating, printing or exchanging obscene matter depicting sexual conduct of a person under age 18 and possessing a controlled substance, according to court officials.

He faces up to nine years and six months in prison if convicted on all charges, according to prosecutors.

A call to Thysell’s attorney was not immediately returned Thursday.

A pretrial hearing for the case was continued Thursday to May 27, according to cour t records.

A search warrant affidavit filed in the case stated Thysell had been friends with the victim’s mother since childhood.

The grandmother of the alleged victim suspected that Thysell had molested the girl about a year ago when she was 7 years old, according to the warrant.

Thysell allegedly pulled the girl’s pants down twice in her Grover Beach bedroom and took a picture of her partially naked, according to the affidavit.

The mother said Thysell, a mechanic, had been alone with her daughter about three times.

In April 2007, the police responded to a 911 call from the Grover Beach home where Thysell was watching the girl and her younger sister.

He told the girl’s mother that the younger daughter had called 911 because he wouldn’t give her a soda and that police arrived and wondered why he had camera equipment set up, according to the warrant.

Thysell had also allegedly left a door open while using the restroom, exposing himself to the younger girl, according to the affidavit.

Teachers had told the girl’s mother that the girl was be-

coming withdrawn, distracted and exhibited other extreme changes in behavior.

Relatives were worried about Thysell’s behavior around the girl after noting that he kissed her on the lips and took many pictures of her when he visited.

The mother contacted police in March after the girl told her grandmother that Thysell had pulled her pants down, according to the affidavit.