A man who was discovered living in Lakeside with his 9-year-old daughter in a small backyard shed containing guns and drugs pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony child abuse and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Joe H. Tavolazzi, 60, was immediately sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison.
Tavolazzi was taken into custody the morning of April 7, along with five other men and two women, at a home in the 12700 block of Lindo Lane, near Lindo Lake County Park.
Tavolazzi, his daughter and a woman were living in the shed, which had no sanitary facilities and was not outfitted to be a livable dwelling, said sheriff’s Sgt. Mike McNeill.
Deputies who searched the small structure found a shotgun, a .22-caliber rifle and 8.1 grams of methamphetamine, according to McNeill.
A Child Protective Services worker took Tavolazzi’s daughter into protective custody.
In an April jailhouse interview, Tavolazzi told KGTV Channel 10 News that he was homeless let his daughter make the final decision on where they would stay.
“I wouldn’t want her going to be thinking she was in danger or thinking something was going to happen … I’ve always taught her to voice her opinion,” Tavolazzi said. “Don’t be afraid to say, ‘No, I don’t want to stay here.’”
— City News Service