East Palo Alto man sentenced for molesting children at wife’s unlicensed daycare

By Tim Fang

A San Mateo County man has been sentenced to more than two decades in state prison after being convicted of molesting children at an unlicensed home daycare run by his wife, prosecutors said.

According to district attorney Steve Wagstaffe’s office, a judge sentenced 72-year-old Noberto Renteria Bautista of East Palo Alto to 24 years, with 1,530 days credit for time served.

In July, Bautista pled no contest to four counts of child molestation and felony continuous child molestation.

Bautista was convicted following an investigation that took place more than three years ago, prosecutors said.

On Feb. 1, 2022, the father of a 7-year-old daughter who attended the daycare was told by Bautista’s wife not to bring her back again. The girl had attended the daycare since she was five.

When the father asked why, the wife said she had briefly left the victim with Bautista and found him molesting the victim when she returned, according to prosecutors. The victim told her father that she had been molested on at least two occasions.

Prosecutors said two additional victims came forward, including a child who was 5 years old at the time of the abuse and a child who was between the ages of 7 and 11.

In addition to the prison time, Bautista was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life and to not contact the victims for at least 10 years.