Man chains kids to beds and sexually assaults one for years, California officials say

A man is going to prison after being accused of abusing his three adopted kids, California officials said.

Jose Centeno, 57, of Rohnert Park, adopted siblings who were 2, 3, and 4 years old in 2006 with his wife, Gina, according to an Aug. 27 news release by the Sonoma County District Attorney.

Eventually the kids were enrolled in elementary school before being pulled out after an employee reported potential physical abuse, prosecutors said.

Then, Centeno hid the kids, officials said.

He told family and friends that the children were given back to the state but assured the state that the kids were still living with him and he received monthly checks until the crimes were discovered in 2020, officials said.

The kids were chained to their beds in a locked upstairs bedroom, officials said.

During the abuse, the oldest child lost consciousness and Centeno told her siblings that she’d been “sent away,” officials said.

For years, one of the other children would only leave the room when Centeno would take her to another room in the home to sexually assault her, officials said.

Centeno eventually took the two youngest kids to Mexico and left them with family, officials said.

The kids told people in Mexico what had happened to them and Child Protective Services reported it to Sonoma County Protective Services, officials said.

The kids were brought back to California and Centeno and his wife were arrested in August 2020, officials said.

Centeno’s wife was also charged but she died before the trial started in June, prosecutors said.

The oldest daughter has not been found but officials believe she went missing sometime during 2012, officials said.

Centeno was sentenced to six consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, three consecutive life sentences, and an additional 39 years for kidnapping for financial gain, torture and child abuse, officials said.

Rohnert Park is about a 50-mile drive northwest from San Francisco.

This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Man chains kids to beds and sexually assaults one for years, California officials say."