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Turlock musician facing five counts of sexually abusing minors
James Boyington
James Boyington

A Turlock man, who has been a staple of the region's music scene, has been arrested on allegations he sexually abused three young girls for several years.

James Boyington, 44, is facing five counts of sexual abuse starting in May 2012 and continuing to December 2019. The felony charges include two counts of committing oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years or younger and three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child, according to the criminal complaint filed in Stanislaus County Superior Court.

The Turlock Police Department began the investigation into Boyington on July 30 when the department received a report of long-term molestations involving multiple victims and occurring in the 4000 block of Fosberg Road.

"Officers responded to investigate the incident and determined the victims had been sexually assaulted for several years," said Turlock Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Parmley. "Due to the severity of the allegations, the circumstances involving incident and the length of time the crimes had been occurring, patrol officers requested the assistance of the Turlock Police Investigative Division. Detectives continued the investigation and interviewed the victims. To prevent any future injury to the victims it was crucial to locate and apprehend James Boyington. Once Boyington's whereabout was known, detectives and officers located and arrested (him).” 

Parmley said Boyington was interviewed by detectives, provided a statement and has been cooperating in the investigation. Boyington was arrested on July 30 and has been in jail in lieu of a $1.95 million bail.

Boyington has been part of the area's music scene since the 1990s. He most recently was part of the band Venting Machine, which released a statement on Facebook.

"As many of you may or may not know, there has been some unfathomable information that has recently come to light regarding our most current bass player," the statement read. "We ourselves, are barely able to process all of this. Even when you think you know someone, you never truly know what's going on inside that person's head. With this being said, this person is no longer our bass player. We have completely severed ties and disassociated ourselves from this person, as we do not condone, in any way shape or form, the heinous acts that have been alleged to have taken place. We are not the spokesperson for this person and since we only know what's been made publicly available, we cannot offer any more details. Our hearts go out to those involved, and to those that will forever be affected by this."

Boyington has a court appearance scheduled for Nov. 5.