Half Moon Bay Man Imprisoned Nine Years for Molestation

A Half Moon Bay man convicted of threatening his young niece's stuffed animals and dolls if she did not perform sexual acts was sentenced this week to the minimum term of nine years in prison.

Johnathan Edhammer, 24, faced up to 22 years in prison based on the molestation convictions. The sentence comes nearly a year after a jury found Edhammer guilty of multiple felony counts of lewd acts on a child and found he committed continuous child molestation between 2007 and 2010.

Edhammer was accused of molesting his half-niece starting at age 9 when she would spend time after school at his home in Half Moon Bay. Prosecutors said Edhammer would take away her stuffed animals and return them only after the girl performed a sex act. He also threatened to cut her and her dolls if she did not perform a different sex act, according to prosecutors.

Edhammer had a knife collection and the girl complied out of fear, according to the District Attorney's Office.

She finally told a friend about the molestation and word eventually reached her parents who contacted police.

Edhammer, who was free on a $500,000 property bond until his conviction, has maintained his innocence. He has a credit of 388 days against the prison term and must register as a sex offender for life and serve 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole.

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