Salinas mom convicted of child molestation ordered to undergo psych evaluation.

A Salinas mom convicted of repeatedly molesting a friend of her teenage daughter was ordered to undergo an extensive psych evaluation before a judge decides if she should go to prison, get county jail time or be placed on probation.

Monterey County Superior Court Judge Richard Curtis made the decision at the end of an emotionally charged, hour-long sentencing hearing for Annette Vink-Banda, who pleaded no contest to charges of committing lewd acts on a child and having unlawful sexual intercourse with a child. The 47-year-old began molesting the victim, now 18, when he was 14 years old.

"I've been very troubled by this case. If this was a man standing before me who was a sexual predator, he would be going to prison," Curtis said, and added, "I'm not sure what she is."

While a sentencing agreement that would have Vink-Banda serve up to five years, eight months in prison was reached, a probation report not yet made public apparently recommended she be placed on probation. In all, she could have faced 23 years in prison. 

Curtis ordered Vink-Banda into custody of the California Department of Corrections. Two CDC psychiatrists will conduct the 90-day evaluation at one of the department's facilities, likely the Central California Women's Facility at Chowchilla. Her teen daughters, in the audience for the sentencing, wept as their mother was handcuffed.

Several friends and family members of the victim spoke at the hearing and decried Vink-Banda's seeming lack of willingness to take responsibility for her actions. One said she was outraged at what she described as the double standard applied to women who sexually assault boys.

"We wouldn't be here talking about probation versus a prison sentence if Annette Banda was a man," she said.

Those same friends and family wept openly as the victims' parents told Curtis about the impact the molestation by a once-trusted family acquaintance has had on them and their son.

"My son has suffered. He's been ostracized," the father told Curtis. "This is a woman who exhibits total anti-social behavior. We have a penal system in place for people who exhibit anti-social behavior."

The teen's mother said she has watched as Vink-Banda blamed abuse at the hands of everyone from her current husband, her ex-husband and boyfriends for her behavior.

Prosecutor Jeannine Pacioni told the judge Vink-Banda not only refuses to accept responsibility, but she blames the victim. 

"She claims she's the victim in this situation," Pacioni says. "She did a remarkable job of grooming this child, buying him fast food, gas cards, giving him a place to hide out…she did a remarkable job of isolating him from his family. She is an ongoing danger to society."

Defense attorney Larry Biegel noted, "It's obviously a very sad, tense day for a lot of people.

"There's no way to unwind or unmake [the pain]. This was not the fault of the child, absolutely, but we need to look at the underlying issues that brought us to this case," Biegel said.

"There are some people who are so soiled or so defective you have to send them to prison," Biegel told the judge. His client, though, was not on that level, he added. 

Curtis will set a date for the sentencing once the CDC evaluation is complete.