Lake Elsinore Man, 53, Arrested After Allegedly Masturbating Outside HS

MURRIETA (CBSLA.com) — A 53-year-old Lake Elsinore man was arrested Wednesday and accused of masturbating in front of female students outside a high school in Murrieta.

Female students outside Murrieta Valley High School reported seeing the suspect over several days.

Officials identified Jaime Delgado Araujo and charged him with suspicion of lewd conduct in public after Murrieta police officers allegedly caught him in the act of exposing himself.

Plain clothes officers began conducting surveillance around the school this week in response to complaints that a man was parking near the campus and masturbating in his vehicle, according to Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad.

Two females, one 15 and the other 16, reported encounters on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12 -- the first at Washington Avenue and Vineyard Parkway, and the second at Washington and Nighthawk Way.

Both witnesses described the same suspect -- Latino, in his early 40s to early 50s, short and stocky with dark cropped hair.

Investigators spotted a man matching the suspect's description just after 7 a.m. Wednesday and allegedly observed him "commit a lewd act" in his car.

"Araujo was identified by one of the previous victims," the lieutenant said.  Officials said the suspect also admitted to committing the indecent acts.

The suspect was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.

Araujo posted a $2,500 bond and was released a few hours later.

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