Petaluma man gets 7 years in prison for sex crimes against minors

Laiken James, 21, will have to register as a sex offender after his jail term.|

A Petaluma man was sentenced to more than seven years in state prison, after pleading no contest in June to six felony counts of sex crimes against four different minors.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Laiken James, 21, received seven years and four months in prison. Upon his release, he will be required to register as a sex offender.

James had been under investigation by Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa police departments for crimes dating to 2015, including pimping an 18-year-old woman.

According to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, the investigation revealed he had unlawful sexual intercourse with several teenagers while an adult, in addition to illegally selling the controlled substance Xanax. James was charged in November 2017.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin Fixler at 707-521-5336 or at kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kfixler.

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