Former Council Member Indicted for Crimes against Minor

Today former Porterville City Council member Daniel Penaloza, age 28, was arraigned on a criminal indictment by a Tulare County Grand Jury for crimes against a minor. The Grand Jury was empaneled on February 7, 2022, and presented an indictment on February 9, 2022.

The indictment includes four total felony counts: two counts of sex with a minor more than 3 years younger, sodomy of a person under the age of 18, and a misdemeanor count of annoying or molesting a child. The indictment also includes a felony count of dissuading a witness pertaining to a separate victim. The crimes are alleged to have been committed between June 2020 and May 2021. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation.

Penaloza pleaded not guilty and the Court released him under supervised own recognizance. Penaloza is scheduled to return to Tulare County Superior Court for a jury trial setting on March 25, 2022, at 8:30 am in Department 17.

If convicted of all charges, Penaloza faces up to 5 years in state prison.

If anyone has any additional information that they believe would be helpful to this case, please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Investigator Jessica Machado of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations at (559) 636-5410.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Assistant District Attorney Dave Alavezos (559) 636-5494