Terry Edward Keegan, a 59-year old Homeland Security Department employee and resident of Irvine, was arrested by Irvine police on Wednesday and charged with molesting two young girls, including one as young as eight years old. Keegan is also accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior with a third girl.
His bail was set at $1 million.
According to a statement from the Orange County District Attorney’s office, Keegan has been charged with three felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, one felony count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, one misdemeanor count of annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18, and one misdemeanor count of touching an intimate part of another person.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Department CJ1 on February 8, 2022, and faces up to 100 years to life in prison, if convicted on all counts.
“The innocence of children should not be ripped away from them by some monster living next door or even in their own home,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The only monsters in children’s lives should be the ones in bedtime stories and movies, not a living, breathing predator who became the stuff of real-life nightmares for three young girls.”
“The victims in this case showed tremendous courage,” said Irvine Police Chief Michael Kent. “We are hopeful the arrest of this predator brings them some comfort and reassurance.”
According to the OCDA, Keegan began molesting an 8-year-old girl in 2011; the girl lived next door to the home he shared with his girlfriend and another young girl. Keegan is also accused of molesting the young girl who lived in his home as well as another girl who lived next door to the family after they moved to a new home in 2015.
