Chowchilla sex offender gets century in prison

A Chowchilla man charged with sex crimes has been sentenced to effectively spend the rest of his life in prison.

According to a press release from the office of Madera County District Attorney David A. Linn, the suspect, Mark Erwin Garner, 56, was sentenced to 135 years to life in a state prison by Judge Joseph Soldani, after being convicted on 10 counts of rape and aggravated sexual assault of a child.

“District Attorney Linn thanked trial attorney, Deputy District Attorney Traci Wise, Sergeant Jason Clark, of the Madera County Sheriff’s Department, for his investigative work, and Madera Victim Services, for supporting the victims,” the Thursday press release said.

“Linn also thanked the Madera County District Attorney Investigators who worked diligently on this case, and Sergeant Stacy Burns, of the Chowchilla Police Department, for her testimony about Chowchilla schools.”