[Important Update August 17th, 2018]: According to the Santa Cruz Public Access Court Portal, the preliminary hearing for alleged sex offender and child molester Jason Gouldon will be on Friday, August 17th at 1:30pm at the Santa Cruz courthouse on Ocean Street.

Many of you have been asking what is going on with the legal proceedings for alleged child molester Jason Gouldon. It’s time to mark your calendars.

The next step in the legal process is a criminal preliminary hearing. More details can be found on FindLaw by following the link – it’s essentially a “trial before the trial” or “mini trial” where evidence is presented, witnesses are called, and the judge approves the case moving to a full trial and sets a date.

There have been a number of preliminary hearings set for this case that have not moved forward due to various legal delays. While there is certainly no guarantee that it will be held this time, Mr. Gouldon and his defense are running out of excuses. Each time a preliminary hearing is set, there’s a “confirmation of preliminary hearing” set a few days before to determine whether the preliminary hearing will move forward as planned. If not, a new date is set.

The next preliminary hearing in Jason’s case is set for Monday, August 13th at 9am at the Santa Cruz Criminal Courthouse. This is an important hearing for anyone who is interested or following the case to attend. All of the hearings are open to the public, and attending is a good way to stand against Jason Gouldon and to share your disapproval of child molesters in our community.