Phoenix (3TV/CBS 5) — The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says men face nearly dozens of cases of sexual assault and sexual abuse of minors after a months-long investigation involving multiple victims. .
Special Victims Unit detectives opened an investigation in December, months after a victim was reportedly sexually assaulted by a man named “Jesse Rodriguez” in 2020, according to the sheriff’s office. have started. Victim until last month. Investigators later identified the man as 30-year-old Jess Rodriguez and found similar sexual assault allegations. Many of them involved minors.
Lawmakers say a 15-year-old girl met Rodriguez in 2019 after seeing each other on social media. He told detectives that he was using the same language he used to speak to the victim. In another example, a 19-year-old woman reported being sexually assaulted after speaking online. Investigators later identified a number of hints from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children related to Rodriguez.
After reviewing these allegations, detectives continued to monitor Rodriguez 24/7 to ensure the safety of the public. Meanwhile, authorities worked to obtain a search warrant to search the man’s car and electronics.
“Crime against children remains a top priority for the sheriff’s office,” Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said. “This shows an extraordinary effort by a multi-jurisdictional agency to keep child predators off the streets.” Investigations by the Office’s Cyber Crime Department continue.
Rodriguez faces five counts of sexual assault, five counts of sexual conduct with a minor, and one count of child molestation.
Anyone with information about Rodriguez should contact the MCSO’s SILO unit at 602-876-TIPS (8477). The reference is IR22-017556.
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