Sentencing postponed for Turlock man who held girlfriend captive in dog crate

A judge on Tuesday postponed a sentencing until June 2 for a Turlock man convicted of battering his girlfriend and caging the young woman in a large dog crate for hours on end.

Frank Deodulo Guerra, 22, on April 6 pleaded no contest to kidnapping, battery with serious injury and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.

It will be up to Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Scott Steffen to decide how much time Guerra will spend in prison. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, based on the charges.

Guerra will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he could become eligible for parole. Upon his release from prison, he will have to serve three years of parole.

Before Guerra is sentenced, the victim and her family will have an opportunity at the June 2 hearing to speak in court about the impact of the defendant’s crimes.

Deputy District Attorney Beth O’Hara DeJong has said in court that the defendant left his then-girlfriend inside the crate three to five times a week, four to five hours a day while he went to work. She says that the victim was forced to urinate into a dog bowl, and that Guerra smeared dog feces on her.

Guerra has been held at the county jail since Feb. 25. He was arrested after his former girlfriend went to the Turlock Police Department to report the crimes.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 9:17 AM with the headline "Sentencing postponed for Turlock man who held girlfriend captive in dog crate."