Office of the District Attorney - Maggie Fleming, District Attorney
NEWS RELEASE
June 3, 2019
This morning a Humboldt County jury convicted 38-year-old Eureka resident Seng “Jimmy” Yang of 16 felony charges, including continuous sexual abuse of a child, two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14, multiple counts of rape of a 14-year-old child, assault with intent to commit rape, and child pornography.
At age 15, Jane Doe made law enforcement aware of the case by walking into the Eureka Police Department (EPD) and telling them what her father had been doing to her. EPD immediately arranged for an interview of Jane Doe by Child Forensic Interviewer Jed Mefford of the Child Abuse Services Team. EPD took the defendant into custody within hours after Jane Doe’s interview. Prosecution of the case benefitted from an extremely thorough investigation by Senior Detective Ronald Harpham, Detective Richard Bise and former EPD Officer Mychal Huynh. Lead investigator Harpham’s exceptional work on this case was reflected in his clear and comprehensive testimony at trial. Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads prosecuted the case with the assistance of District Attorney Investigators Kyla Baxley and Martin Morris, former District Attorney Investigator Martin Perrone, and Victim Witness Advocate Caitlyn LaHaie.
This case relied entirely on the heroic conduct of Jane Doe, which included facing her father during her testimony in court. Many people in law enforcement and the criminal justice system have been inspired by the bravery and resiliency of the now 16-year-old Doe.
The defendant, who faces life in prison, will be sentenced on July 29th at 8:30 by Judge John Feeney.