Father and son to appear in Tahoe court on sex-assault charges

The two men accused of raping and killing a 9-year-old South Lake Tahoe girl last month will appear in court Wednesday on sex charges involving another young girl.

Thomas Soria Sr. and his son Thomas Soria Jr. are accused of convincing a 15-year-old girl in October to have sex with one of them. They have been charged with sexual assault.

For more than two hours, Soria Sr. allegedly molested the teenager in the bedroom of his Stateline apartment. He and his son told the girl he would die if she did not submit to him, said Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini.

Since that time, according to court records, the girl periodically has stopped eating. Prosecutors say they are concerned she might hurt herself.

"(She is) suffering from a profound emotional distress and may be suicidal," Deputy District Attorney Alan Buttell wrote in an affidavit submitted to the Tahoe Township Justice Court.

Prosecutors had hoped to videotape the girl's testimony Wednesday during their 10 a.m. preliminary hearing for the Sorias. However, the motion was denied.

They wanted to preserve her testimony on film in case something happens to her.

The teen is expected to allege that 19-year-old Soria Jr., whom she told investigators she was interested in romantically, suggested she sleep with his father.

Soria Jr. allegedly introduced Soria Sr. as his "Uncle Tom" and told the girl the older man was sick with tumors that would explode if he got upset.

Douglas County Sheriff's deputies learned of the alleged sexual assault while investigating the killing and rape of Krystal Steadman. The 9-year-old South Lake Tahoe girl disappeared March 19. Witnesses said she was last seen playing with Soria Jr. Her body was found at the side of U.S. Highway 50 the next day and Soria Jr. was arrested hours later.

Investigators allegedly found blood belonging to Steadman in Soria's car and found the father's semen on the girl's body, according to the sheriff's department. Soria Sr. was arrested March 28.

The two men will next appear in court in regard to the Steadman charges on May 8.