A 20-year-old man from Santa Barbara County has been arrested for groping young girls at a retail store, and detectives are seeking additional victims.
Authorities say they received their first report of the suspect, now identified as 20-year-old Santa Maria resident Angel Gabriel Lopez Rojas, grabbing the buttocks of a 6-year-old girl on Aug. 21.
Rojas reportedly groped the child at a Dollar Tree store located 4869 S. Bradley Road in Orcutt.
When deputies with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene, the 20-year-old had already fled, authorities said in a news release.
On Sept. 13, the department received two more reports of young girls, a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old, who were also grabbed at the Dollar Tree store.
Angel Gabriel Lopez Rojas, 20, a resident of Santa Maria, seen in a photo released by SBSO on Sept. 23, 2024.
Just short of a week later, on Sept. 13, after detectives had identified the 20-year-old as the suspect, he was arrested in the 1200 block of Bauer Avenue in Orcutt.
He was booked at the Northern Branch Jail where he is being held without bail for felonies that include lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under 14 and child annoyance.
Due to the nature of these incidents, authorities released Rojas’ photo in hopes that any additional victims or anyone with knowledge of additional crimes associated with 20-year-old would come forward and contact Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Det. Brownlee at 805-681-4150.
Those wishing to remain anonymous can call 805-681-4171 or leave tips online by following this link.
A 20-year-old man from Santa Barbara County has been arrested for groping young girls at a retail store, and detectives are seeking additional victims. Authorities say they received their first report of the suspect, now identified as 20-year-old Santa Maria resident Angel Gabriel Lopez Rojas, grabbing the buttocks of a 6-year-old girl on Aug. […]
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