Sex offender admits peeping into Costa Mesa homes and touching residents; he’s sentenced to 30 years

A 45-year-old convicted sex offender who admitted to peeping through the windows of homes in Costa Mesa, sexually assaulting a resident and touching two others has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Jeffrey Robert Smith of Costa Mesa pleaded guilty Friday in Orange County Superior Court to one count of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense, three counts of first-degree residential burglary and one count of elder abuse, all felonies.

He also pleaded guilty to 14 misdemeanors, including touching an intimate part of another person, indecent exposure, peeking into an inhabited building, lewd conduct in a public place, loitering on private property and unlawful entry of a dwelling, according to court records.

Judge Terri Flynn-Peister immediately sentenced Smith, identified in jail records as a gardener, to 30 years in state prison.

Prosecutors said Smith broke into three Costa Mesa homes between May and July 2015 and touched residents inside. In one instance, Smith masturbated outside a victim’s house.

Other times, prosecutors said, Smith stood in front of windows and peeked inside.

Costa Mesa police arrested Smith on July 16, 2015, after he stood nude on a resident’s porch in the 2100 block of Orange Avenue, police said.

It isn’t clear when Smith was ordered to register as a sex offender. However, in 1999, he pleaded guilty to felony sexual battery and nine misdemeanors, including peeping and false imprisonment. A judge sentenced him to two years in prison in that case.

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