Spokane Retiree Faces 6 Charges Of Lewd Acts With OC Girls
TUSTIN (CBSLA) — A man suspected in at least two Tustin reports of sexual assaults of victims under 14 years old was arrested in Washington state and brought back to Orange County.
Gerardo Garcia Lopez, 67, is being held on $1 million bail at Orange County jail after being arrested in Washington State on Oct. 26 and waiving extradition back to California, according to Tustin police. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in court Monday.
Tustin police says Lopez first got onto detectives' radar in December of 2011, when a 13-year-old girl reported being possibly sexually assaulted by her babysitter's adult friend. Detectives investigated the report, but police say there was not enough evidence at the time to file charges against Lopez.
A second report naming Lopez as the suspect was made in May of 2016, but the 14-year-old victim alleged the crime happened about 10 years prior. But the two cases were enough to prompt a lengthier, more exhaustive investigation.
On Oct. 4, the Orange County District Attorney's Office filed six felony counts of lewd acts with a minor under the age of 14 against Lopez, who had retired to Spokane, Wash.
Anyone with further information about Lopez can contact Detective Nguyen at (714) 573-3372.
