MARTINEZ — A Contra Costa County superior court judge sentenced an Antioch woman to 15 years-to-life in state prison Thursday following her conviction for sexual abuse of a young child, authorities said.
Judge David Goldstein handed out the sentence after 29-year-old Michelle Hidalgo admitted to engaging in sexual acts with a child 10 years old or younger, according to a statement from Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Ted Asregadoo said.
Hidalgo’s sentence began immediately, and she was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
According to Asregadoo, Hidaldo was working as a part-time nanny for a family when the attacks occurred. The Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force became alerted to sexually explicit images of a small child being shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Sept. 21, 2023, and served a search warrant at an Antioch residence the next day.
Asregadoo said that in her plea, Hidalgo admitted to the abuse. Evidence showed that Hidalgo created pictures of the abuse and shared them with other X users. Asregadoo said authorities also recovered text messages from Hidaldo to others indicating her intent to do more.
Investigators were working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to make sure the images of the victim are flagged if ever shared online.