California man skips child sex trial to meet Michigan girl

A California man convicted of several sexual assault charges skipped part of his trial so he could visit a girl in Michigan he met online.

Michael Khatoonian was found guilty in December 2019 and was facing sentencing Jan. 15 on a variety of charges, including two counts of sexually assaulting a child under 10 years old, two counts of forcible sexual abuse, and lewd and lascivious touching of a child under 14 years old, when he did not appear in court, the Tuscola County Sheriff's Office said.