Thousand Oaks Man Suspected of Luring Young Girls with Social Media then Sexually Assaulting Them
A man residing in Thousand Oaks, California, was apprehended on Friday for allegedly sexually assaulting three young girls. Additionally, he is accused of sending explicit videos and photos to another child. The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Raul Garcia, came under investigation in December 2019 by the Thousand Oaks Police. The authorities initiated the inquiry after receiving reports that a man had sent sexually explicit content to a minor.
Following a news release issued by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, detectives managed to establish Raul Garcia as the individual behind the explicit messages shared through social media. Subsequently, law enforcement officials obtained a search warrant for his residence and conducted a search. The search uncovered evidence leading to the identification of three additional female juvenile victims.
Upon interviewing the victims, detectives gathered enough evidence to suspect Garcia of sexually assaulting each of the three underage girls on separate occasions. According to the statement released by the Sheriff’s Office, Garcia exploited social media platforms to target and groom his juvenile victims. His modus operandi involved luring them with sexually explicit photos, ultimately meeting with them to commit the assaults. All four victims, aged between 12 and 15, hail from the Thousand Oaks area.
On Friday, law enforcement officers took Garcia into custody at his residence. Subsequently, he was booked on multiple charges, including sending harmful material to a minor, unlawful sexual intercourse, using a minor in sexual acts, possessing child pornography, assaulting a minor, and genital penetration with a foreign object. A bail amount of $250,000 has been set for Raul Garcia, with his court appearance scheduled for August 25 at the Ventura County courthouse.
Detectives involved in the case have urged anyone with information about additional victims to come forward. Authorities are concerned that there may be further unidentified victims. If you have any information, please contact Deputy Amber Voorhees, the School Resource Officer from the Thousand Oaks Police Department, at the following phone number: 805-947-9298.
The press release also serves as a reminder for parents to educate and encourage their school-age children to utilize privacy settings on their social media accounts. Additionally, children should be advised not to accept friends or follow requests from strangers, and to avoid engaging in conversations or exchanging messages with unknown individuals. This cautionary measure is particularly crucial, given that sexual predators frequently create fake profiles using photos that appear to be of school-aged individuals to manipulate and exploit minors.
