A Westminster man made his first appearance in court Friday on charges of sexually abusing a boy and attempting to kill a girl and extorting a male victim in Fountain Valley.
Yan Zhang was charged Tuesday with single felony counts each of continuous sexual abuse of a child, child abuse and endangerment, attempted murder and extortion of property or other consideration by force or threat.
Zhang also faces a sentencing enhancement for attempted premeditated murder. Zhang was arrested Wednesday and did not enter a plea at his arraignment Friday in the jail courtroom of Santa Ana when the hearing was rescheduled for Jan. 12 in the West Justice Center in Westminster.
Zhang was accused of the continuous sexual abuse of a boy he lived with in 2015, according to the criminal complaint. He was accused of child abuse and endangerment in Dec. 18, 2020 and attempted murder on Aug. 1, 2017, the complaint alleges.
The alleged extortion of a third male victim occurred on Jan. 1 of this year, according to the complaint.
Zhang was ordered held on $1 million bail.
A spokesman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office did not have details of the allegations, and Fountain Valley police did not immediately respond to a request for details.