Juvenile sexual assault suspect arrested; Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office
WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced Monday that they've arrested 35-year-old Luis Salas of Watsonville on charges related to sexual assault of minors.
According to deputies, Salas was arrested on September 3 around 9 a.m. after detectives were alerted to reports of an adult male selling drugs to minors. They say that during the investigation, deputies discovered multiple victims throughout Santa Cruz County.
The Sheriff's Office said that Salas was using social media like Snapchat to lure victims, and that he was operating under the Snapchat handles “Cookies_squad,” “Penjaminpookie” and “LuciousLouie.”
"Due to the sensitivity and seriousness of the allegations, we are working in collaboration with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education to ensure that the schools and guardians of students are aware of the arrest," wrote the Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post Monday.
The Sheriff's Office said that multiple agencies have come together to work on this case, including the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, Watsonville Police Department, Santa Cruz Police Department, Capitola Police Department and Scotts Valley Police Department.
Deputies say that Salas' arrest included contacting a minor with the intent for sex, kidnapping and false imprisonment charges, and that he is currently being held in custody without bail.
Detectives believe that there are more victims that they have not spoken to yet, and encourage anyone with information to contact dispatch at 831-471-1121.
