SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man is now in custody after he allegedly sexually assaulted an 8-year-old at the Goodwill on Elkhorn Boulevard in May.
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, 38-year-old Cesar Augusto Ortezponce was arrested Thursday after being detained at the same store.
The investigation began in May when an 8-year-old told deputies she was playing dress up while her mother was trying on clothes when a man exposed his genitals to her and then ran his hand up her inner thigh.
The store gave surveillance footage to deputies, but they could not identify the man.
Then, on September 27, the store contacted investigators and gave them footage of the same man. Deputies say the new footage shows the same man kneeling behind a woman and putting a phone under her dress.
Investigators then identified the suspect as Ponce.
Store security contacted investigators again on September 30 and turned over more footage which they say shows Ponce looking at children’s toys while a mother and her two children were nearby. Deputies say the footage also shows Ponce rubbing his genitals while a girl is running nearby.
He was eventually detained Thursday at the same store and a search warrant was executed at his apartment.
Ponce was booked on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, and annoying or molesting a child under 18.
Detectives believe they are additional victims who have not yet reported their assaults. If you think you or your children may have been a victim of Ponce, call the Sheriff’s Office Child Abuse Bureau at (916) 874-5191 or email ChildAbuse@sacsheriff.com.
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