California Father Convicted of Incest Involving Daughter Set for Early Jail Release - KTVU

A Southern California father convicted of incest and providing alcohol to his teenage daughter is expected to be released from jail Monday after serving less than six months behind bars, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Stephen Chavez, 41, entered a guilty plea in May to charges of incest and supplying alcohol to Makayla Settles, his 18-year-old daughter. Furthermore, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office noted that Chavez conceded to special allegations acknowledging he abused a position of trust and that the victim was especially vulnerable.

Chavez received a sentence of one year in county jail alongside three years of probation. Prosecutors had requested a three-year term in state prison.

The case dates back to July 2025, when Settles relocated from North Carolina to Moorpark to attend college, moving in with her biological father. According to authorities, the assault occurred just two days after her arrival on the West Coast following a day of drinking at a family gathering where Chavez bought additional alcohol for them to consume at home.

Following the assault, Settles was hospitalized. A subsequent rape kit confirmed the presence of Chavez’s DNA. In December 2025, months after the incident, Settles died by suicide.

Before entering the guilty pleas, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko directed a team of 10 internal prosecutors and external legal experts to conduct an exhaustive review. The team examined whether harsher charges, such as rape, could legally be filed. All participating experts concluded that incest remained the only felony charge supported by the admissible evidence.

Carolina Sandoval, the victim’s mother, previously expressed profound distress over the statutory limits of the charges. “Based on the charges, the most that he can get is three years [in prison] and 20 years as a registered sex offender,” Sandoval said. “It just feels like, you know, my daughter’s life is only worth three years.”

Sandoval also noted, “He got her drunk… she was intoxicated. She was taken advantage of physically and mentally. So if that’s not rape, I really don’t know what is.” She remembered her daughter as a “sweet girl” and a “little entrepreneur” who dreamed of becoming an architect.

Additional details regarding the case are documented in Ventura County Sheriff’s Office inmate records and statements from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.