Registered Sex Offender Arrested Accused Of Groping Women At Yucaipa Supermarket

YUCAIPA (CBSLA.com) — The Yucaipa Police Department has arrested a registered sex offender accused of groping several women at a supermarket Sunday night.

Geovanni Chavez, 30, groped several women at the Stater Bros. on Yucaipa Boulevard on Aug. 6, according to police.

One of the victims was John Gordon's wife. He said he was just a few feet away when it happened and immediately confronted the man.

"As I'm saying this, another lady says: 'Did he grab your wife?' I said yeah. She said: 'He just grabbed my butt,'" Gordon recalled.

He called police while store managers escorted the groper out of the store. But he took off before police arrived.

"I came home thinking I can't leave and let this escalate with another woman," Gordon said. So he posted photos of the suspect on Facebook. Soon after, other women came forward.

A parole officer, who saw the pictures, recognized the suspect and tracked him down using the GPS in his monitoring ankle bracelet.

Police arrested Chavez Monday night. After interrogating him, they identified two more victims and believed there were more.

Chavez was being held without bail at the West Valley Detention Center.

Anyone who is a victim of a similar crime is asked to contact Yucaipa police at (909) 918-2305.

According to the Megan's Law website, Chavez was convicted of lewd acts with juveniles.