Police: Man arrested for sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl who he met on Snapchat
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KRON) – Police in Santa Rosa are investigating the alleged sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl.
It started when officers were called to a home on Dec. 21 after a father said a man was in their backyard shining a flashlight into his daughter’s room.
Later that night, police found Francisco Cortes driving without his headlights on and was taken into custody on a citizen’s arrest.
The next day, the father went back to police alleging the suspect had sexually assaulted his daughter.
He made the allegation after discovering his daughter had talked to him on Snapchat.
Police say Cortes exchanged thousands of messages with the 11-year-old and some were sexual in nature.
He’s been booked into Sonoma County Jail on $1 million bail.
Here is the full statement from police:
On December 21, 2017, at approximately 2:30 AM, the father of an 11-year-old girl called the Santa Rosa Police Department to report a man in his backyard, shining a flashlight into his daughter’s bedroom. Officers were dispatched to the residence and as they arrived saw a vehicle being driven without its headlights on. The vehicle was stopped and once the driver was contacted, the father identified him as the same person who had been in his backyard. Because the incident involved a misdemeanor crime which did not occur in the presence of officers, the father made a citizen’s arrest. Based on the circumstances, the officers accepted the arrest and booked Francisco Cortes at the county jail on charges of 647(i) PC/Peeping. His bail was set at $1,000.
On December 22, the father went to the police department with information that suggested Cortes had sexually assaulted the 11-year-old girl. This information was discovered when he reviewed a social me dia application (Snapchat) which his daughter had set up on a family members cellphone. The information found on the application showed Cortes and the 11-year-old had exchanged thousands of messages, some of which were sexual in nature. A Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault detective was called out and began an investigation.
On December 29, 2017, Cortes went to the police department to recover his vehicle, which had been towed following his arrest for peeping. The detective investigating the case was called and ultimately arrested Cortes.
Arrested was Francisco Aparicio Cortes. He is either 24 or 28 years old, and has provided different dates of birth during various interactions with law enforcement in California. Although he had been residing in Santa Rosa, at the time of his arrest he claimed to be living in Clearlake, CA. He was booked at the Sonoma County jail with bail set at $1,000,000. His charges at the time of booking were:
Felony 269(a)(1) PC/Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Minor
This case is still under investigation. If anyone has information regarding this case, please call the DVSA tip line number; (707) 543-4040. Please DO NOT call any other numbers to provide information in this case. Media inquiries may be directed to Sergeant Terry Anderson at tlanderson@srcity.org.