Turlock man sentenced to 25 years to life for sexually assaulting girlfriend

A 49-year-old Turlock man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting his girlfriend, which resulted in serious injuries.

The woman, identified in court as “Jane Doe,” testified in the trial for her former boyfriend, Aaron Anthony Vrh. She told a jury that he instructed her to lie to medical officials about how she was injured.

She testified that Vrh told her to say she was drunk and had accidentally sat on a plunger, causing her injuries, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Annette Rees, who prosecuted the case.

What really happened was that she and the defendant were at a neighbor’s party July 4, 2013, according to the victim’s testimony. She said they argued after the party, and he became angry. She told the jury that he chased her into a bedroom at his home, where he sexually assaulted her by force.

The victim said the defendant helped clean her and took her to Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock. After hearing the phony story about the injuries, a nurse at the hospital called Turlock police, according to Rees. An officer responded.

The woman continued to lie about her injuries, but the officer did not believe a plunger caused her injuries. Rees said the officer photographed the woman’s external injuries and bruising. Two years later, the photos were shown to a jury at the trial.

The victim maintained her injuries were accidental and returned to the defendant’s home after the sexual assault. Eventually, she gained the courage to end the relationship and leave the defendant’s home.

She moved to Merced County. Several months later, the defendant found her and assaulted her, according to Rees. The victim then called Merced County sheriff’s officials and revealed that her ex-boyfriend had sexually assaulted her in July 2013.

At trial, two other former girlfriends testified that Vrh had violently assaulted them when they each tried to end their relationship with him, according to Rees.

After a two-week trial in late October, a jury found Vrh guilty of sexual penetration with a foreign object by force with enhancements for inflicting serious bodily injury and causing great bodily injury during an act of domestic violence. The enhancements increased the defendant’s sentence.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Rick Distaso sentenced the defendant on Dec. 7. Vrh’s conviction is considered a strike under the state’s “three strikes” law. If he is granted parole, Vrh will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Rees said the woman suffered permanent injuries during the sexual assault, and the defendant “now has a life sentence to reflect on his long history of violence upon women.”

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Turlock man sentenced to 25 years to life for sexually assaulting girlfriend."