Street Vendor Accused of Child Molestation

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/020410_street_vendor_accused_of_child_molestation/

By Michelle Nelson, Noozhawk Managing Editor

Police say the man lured the girl to a secluded area of the parking lot near her home

A street vendor known to sell fruits and vegetables from a pushcart in Westside neighborhoods has been arrested as a suspect in a possible child molestation incident.

Santa Barbara police said a 5-year-old girl and her parents reported the incident about 1:30 p.m. Jan. 31. Officers fanned out and within an hour located the suspect, who was wearing different clothing, in the 500 block of West Victoria Street, Lt. Paul McCaffrey said in a news release.

Police identified the suspect as Silvano Rodelas Rojas, 60, of Los Angeles.

Rojas frequently traveled to Santa Barbara to sell produce out of his cart, and was a known figure in several neighborhoods, McCaffrey said.

Investigators determined that the girl’s father was friendly with Rojas and had spoken with him on many occasions. On the date of the incident, Rojas had gone to their residence and found the girl outside while the father was inside.

Police said he lured the girl to a secluded area in the apartment parking lot and touched her inappropriately. The victim’s mother drove by and saw Rojas touching her daughter. Rojas left the scene and the parents called police, McCaffrey said.

When arrested, Rojas had items in his possession that detectives believe were used to lure the victim to the parking lot. He was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on a charge of child molestation.

Detectives are investigating the possibility of similar incidents. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Jose LaTorre at 805.897.2335.

— Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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