A man who allegedly solicited young girls at the William Mead Homes Project near downtown Los Angeles was arrested on Monday for "annoying a child under 14 and soliciting an act of prostitution," according to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles police detectives were able to arrest Marco Julio Gonzales, 41, of San Gabriel, after a judge granted an arrest warrant for Gonzales. He was booked and released in lieu of $40,000 bail.
Gonzales became a known sex offender for a particular incident in which he was convicted of indecent exposure. Because he is a registered sex offender, police were able to get a warrant for arrest from the judge. Had he not been a sex offender, police would have had to catch him in the act, or a witness would have had to apprehend him, in order to be arrested because annoying a child under 14 and soliciting an act of prostitution are both misdemeanor crimes.
Gonzales' arrest stems from an incident that occurred last year, in which he allegedly offered a 12-year-old girl $100 for oral sex. When the young girl told her mother about the offer, the mother immediately called The Los Angeles Police Department to file a police report.
Police say there is a good chance Gonzales is linked to other solicitation crimes. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
- Sex Offender Arrested For Soliciting a 12-year-old Girl (KTLA)
- Find a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer (FindLaw)
- Sex Offenders and Sex Offenses (FindLaw)
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