A 37-year-old man suspected of lewd acts in front of Riverside schoolgirls may have perpetrated analogous offenses elsewhere, prompting police Friday to ask for the public’s help in connecting him to any prior incidents.
“We believe Francis Ledesma Castillo may have committed similar lewd acts in his black Mercedes-Benz (around) many other schools across Riverside and Orange counties over the past year,” Riverside Police Department Capt. Chad Milby said. “It’s likely there are additional victims who have not yet come forward.”
Castillo was arrested last week on suspicion of indecent exposure, annoying minors, possession of an unregistered high-capacity rifle and illegal storage of an unlicensed firearm. He posted a $70,000 bond and was released from the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside Monday.
According to police spokesman Ryan Railsback, at the end of January, a campus resource officer assigned to Lincoln High School in the 4300 block of Victoria Avenue was alerted by administrators that three female students walking adjacent to school grounds had encountered a motorist parked, masturbating as the youths walked by his car.
After receiving a description of the driver and his Mercedes, detectives from the Sexual Assault-Child Abuse Unit initiated a probe that ultimately pointed to Castillo as the alleged perpetrator, Railsback said.
He said a search warrant was obtained and served at the suspect’s residence on Garden Grove Boulevard on May 1, resulting in Castillo’s arrest and the seizure of the rifle without incident.
Background information on Castillo was unavailable. The case was expected to be submitted to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Anyone with information was asked to contact investigators at 951-353-7133.