Former Sacramento Juvenile Court Referee Pleads No Contest To Sex Charge

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A former Sacramento County Juvenile Court officer pleaded no contest to a sex charge on Wednesday involving a teen girl and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Daniel Horton, who resigned his position as a Juvenile Court dependency referee after his arrest, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of engaging in sexually motivated child annoyance with a person he believed to be under the age of 18.

He was sentenced to three years probation, 90 days in custody, which he can serve under house arrest or by work project, and must complete a sex offender management program, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

On Feb. 2, Horton made contact with a girl in the area of Folsom Boulevard and Bradshaw Road and the teen told him she was 17. The girl was actually 18 and working undercover for the Sacramento Police Department.

Horton had a conversation with her for about 30 minutes. Horton told her that he was from San Diego and worked as an agent for an adult magazine that featured nude photos. He suggested a private audition where she would masturbate in front of him.

During their investigation officers learned that Horton had been approaching other girls using a similar story line.

Police were first alerted to Horton back in November when a female tanning salon employee said he approached her about nude modeling. They set up a decoy program in response to her allegations.

Horton decided child custody cases in his position with the court. He was placed on administrative leave after his arrest and then resigned.