SANTA CRUZ — A 35-year-old Watsonville man who legislation enforcement mentioned used social media to show younger teenagers to medicine and intercourse, pleaded not responsible to fees Monday.
Luis Alberto Salas
Luis Alberto Salas remained held with out bail this week after the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Workplace, the lead investigating company in a cross-county collaboration, sought the county jail maintain final month to doubtlessly enable extra victims to come back ahead, in keeping with court docket filings. As of Monday’s third amended grievance, Santa Cruz County Assistant District Lawyer Jason Gill had recognized seven unidentified “Jane Doe” victims in his prison filings.
In an early Sept. 4 submitting, Gill listed separate associated prison investigations into Salas involving the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Scotts Valley, in addition to unincorporated Santa Cruz County. Gill wrote that Salas allegedly “poses too great a danger to the public if released.”
Within the submitting, the assistant district lawyer said, “Defendant is placing the children of Santa Cruz County at extreme risk of death because he is supplying drugs and alcohol to minors and he is also exposing children to sexual assault crimes despite the fact he is currently pending a child molest case.” Moreover, Gill outlined, “We also consider him a flight risk because he has no significant community ties, the charges in this case carry significant consequences, and simply put — we don’t trust this defendant to show up on his good word.”
Salas struck a plea take care of the district lawyer’s workplace in a 2008 Watsonville Police Division case and was convicted on fees associated to youngster abuse and vandalism. In November, Salas additionally was charged in a sheriff’s workplace case with a misdemeanor for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, arranging to satisfy with a minor, public intoxication and annoying or molesting a baby below 18. In response to court docket filings, the suspect was accused of bringing alcohol to a celebration thrown by a 17-year-old and later groping the teenager. Previous to his most up-to-date arrest, Salas had been ordered launched from jail pending the result of the 2023 case.
In his newest case, Salas’ fees specify a interval between August 2022 and his arrest in early September. The women, who have been anonymously recognized in court docket filings, are described as being as younger as 13 and as previous as 16. Among the many now 42 prison counts Salas has been charged with, alleged violations span rape and soliciting a industrial intercourse act, to offering the teenagers with marijuana and youngster abuse. Per the prosecution’s court docket filings, Salas’ alleged crimes have been “motivated by an unnatural and abnormal sexual interest in children.”
Sheriff’s workplace authorities imagine Salas used social media accounts to promote medicine and alcohol to underage victims in trade for sexual favors and cash — primarily by means of the Snapchat app — whereas utilizing handles akin to “Cookies_squad,” “Penjaminpookie” and “LuciousLouie.”
Initially Printed: October 9, 2024 at 6:32 a.m.
