A California father who admitted to sexually abusing his teenage daughter after providing alcohol to her has been released from jail after serving about half of his one-year sentence. The daughter took her own life months after the sexual assault.
As Blaze News reported, 41-year-old Stephen Vincent Chavez pleaded guilty in May to a felony count of incest and a misdemeanor count of furnishing alcohol to a minor.
'Makayla felt she had no way out after enduring the horrific trauma of being sexually assaulted by her biological father.'
On June 23, Judge Dusty Kawai of Ventura County Superior Court sentenced Chavez to one year in Ventura County Jail, plus three years of probation. Chavez also was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next 20 years.
Records from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office show that Chavez was released Monday, which means Chavez served about half of his 12-month jail sentence.
Ventura County District Attorney's Office Communications Manager Joey Buttitta confirmed to Blaze News that Chavez has been released from jail.
Buttitta told Blaze News:
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office stated that prosecutors objected to the court's sentence and had called for the "maximum sentence allowed by law of three years in state prison."
A team of 10 prosecutors previously examined the possibility of filing additional charges, including rape.
However, prosecutors "concluded that incest was the only felony charge supported by the law, facts, and admissible evidence."
Ventura County Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty previously said, "The people requested the maximum three-year state prison sentence because the defendant exploited his position as a father, violated his daughter’s trust, supplied her with alcohol, and engaged in criminal conduct that forever altered the course of her life."
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The Ventura County District Attorney's Office said Chavez's 18-year-old daughter, Makayla Rene Settles, was staying with him in July 2025 at his home in Moorpark — which is roughly an hour northwest of Los Angeles.
According to Los Angeles Magazine, Makayla moved from North Carolina to her dad's home, where she was "hoping to attend college and begin a new chapter in her life."
"Two days after arriving at Chavez’s Moorpark home, she reported that he had sexually assaulted her," Los Angeles Magazine reported.
"After a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for himself and his daughter to consume at home," the DA stated. "Chavez then engaged in sexual intercourse with her."
KTTV-TV reported that Settles was hospitalized following the assault, and a rape kit confirmed the presence of Chavez's DNA.
Makayla committed suicide on Dec. 28, 2025.
A Change.org petition was launched Sunday to demand justice for Makayla.
"Makayla felt she had no way out after enduring the horrific trauma of being sexually assaulted by her biological father," read the petition attributed to Makayla's mother, Carolina Sandoval.
The grieving mother said the legal system failed to protect Makayla and sent a "chilling message that such acts can be committed without true consequence."
The petition added, "The short sentence not only diminishes the gravity of the offense but also endangers others by failing to hold perpetrators accountable."
The petition also demanded that the case be revisited and the sentencing laws be re-examined.
The Ventura County Superior Court did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.
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[H/T Blaze Media]
