Two recent alleged online predators targeted victims through social media

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Two arrests were made in Monterey County after alleged cases of sexual assault where the perpetrator contacted victims through social media. Salinas PD confirms two victims, while Soledad has mentioned at least five minors reported being victims of that case. Both departments are saying, while the cases are similar, they do not have a connection. 

“Our officers and detectives have been investigating Saúl Hernández for sexually based crimes against juveniles,” Sergeant Zack Dunagan with Salinas Police says. “We were able to obtain enough information in the investigation to warrant an arrest for those charges.” 

In Salinas, 28-year-old Saúl Hernández was arrested facing various charges related to sexual offenses involving minors. Detectives say Hernández used social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat to target victims under the age of 16. 

“We have been able to confirm two separate victims who don't know each other,” Dunagan says. “That's why our concern is, there are more out there potentially.”

In an unrelated case, but with similar circumstances, Soledad police arrested 33-year-old Rutilio Calihua Quiahua, a resident of King City. He is presumably responsible for committing sexual offenses, targeting the Oaxacan community. Officials are confirming five victims total. Dunagan is adding that cases like these must be handled with care. 

“It's hard to reach victims because this is something that people don't necessarily want to talk about. So it's a constant back and forth of us trying to reach out but not trying to push too hard, where… we still want victims to understand that they are a victim of a crime.” 

That is why agencies like the binational center for the development of Oaxacan indigenous communities reiterate their support to potential victims. In a statement, they say they continue providing services in their greenfield and offices.

Still, Dunagan reminds parents to stay vigilant of their children's social media activity. 

“There are a lot of ways to hide apps. And I think parents just need to stay on top of that accessibility and also know what is prevalent in the social media world at the time, because that's what kids are going to flock to.”

Sargent Dunagan says that although access to internet and social media presence is more prevalent, they have not seen a rise in these types of cases.