Hawaii Man Sentenced in Tuolumne County Sexual Abuse Case

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SONORA, CA — A 72-year-old Hawaii man has received sentencing following a Tuolumne County investigation into a series of sexual assaults that occurred more than two decades ago.

Tuolumne County District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke announces that Craig T. Christensen, of Hawaii, was sentenced this month to 21 years to life in State Prison. The sentence, handed down by Judge Hallie Gorman-Campbell, follows Christensen’s guilty plea to charges of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Minor.

The case began to unfold in September 2023, when the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from police in Hawaii. The report detailed a sexual assault that had taken place in Tuolumne County starting in 2001.

According to investigators, the survivor—who was between four and six years old at the time of the abuse—carried the weight of the crimes into his adulthood. In 2023, the survivor and seven family members traveled to Hawaii to confront Christensen. During that encounter, Christensen reportedly admitted to the conduct, apologized, and confessed that there had been other victims in the past.

“Without the survivor’s strength and fortitude of coming forward… the defendant would have not been held accountable and he would remain free to victimize others,” the District Attorney’s Office stated.

The investigation revealed a pattern of abuse occurring over a period of six months. Christensen had gained access to the victim by posing as a close family friend—someone the family once considered part of their inner circle.

Following the 2023 report, Tuolumne County detectives worked alongside the District Attorney’s Office to secure an arrest warrant. Christensen was extradited from Hawaii in February 2025 and entered a guilty plea later that August.

He now has a lifelong requirement to register as a sex offender and must undergo evaluation under the Sexually Violent Predator Act before any future consideration for parole.