Fountain Valley Man, 71, Accused of Sexually Assaulting 2 Girls

A 71-year-old Fountain Valley man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of raping a 10-year-old girl and commiting lewd acts on another girl.

Donald Roy Shipley, 71, of Fountain Valley, will be charged with multiple felonies, according to county prosecutors. Charges include:

• felony count of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14.
• lewd acts on a child under 14.
• aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Shipley also faces one misdemeanor count of possession and control of child pornography and a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing a sexual offense against more than one victim.

Authorities took Shipley into custody Wednesday morning at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center, according to Fountain Valley police Sgt. Matt Sheppard. He would not say whether Shipley was a patient, but the defendant appeared to be wearing a hospital gown in his mug shot.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years and eight months to life in state prison.

Shipley is being held on $1 million bail at the Theo Lacy Facility.

He is expected to be arraigned July 19 at the West Justice Center in Westminster.

According to the prosecutor, at the time of the alleged crimes, the defendant was living in a Fountain Valley home with an adult female and a young female relative.

In 2008, a 10-year-old girl was in Shipley’s home visiting the defendant’s young female relative.

Shipley is accused of taking the victim into his bedroom and raping her.

The alleged crime was not immediately reported. 

In 2009, Shipley allegedly committed lewd acts against a second 10-year-old girl from his neighborhood.

Shipley is also accused of possessing pornographic photos of her in various states of undress.

In May 2011, the Fountain Valley Police Department began investigating Shipley for alleged possession of child pornography.

The defendant is accused of being in possession of more than a dozen pornographic images of young girls between the ages of about 10 and 13.

Many of the photos appeared to be taken in the defendant’s home, authorities say.

During the investigation, detectives learned the identity of the first alleged victim.

The second alleged victim, unaware of the ongoing investigation, reported the alleged rape against her while the other investigation was ongoing. 

The police investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact FVPD Detective Jesse Hughes at (714) 593-4480 or Supervising District Attorney Investigator Lou Gutierrez at (714) 347-8794. 

According to booking information, Shipley is described as 5 feet 7 and weighing 160 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes.

--City News Service contributed to this story