HESPERIA – Two men were charged with having sex with 17-year-old and 14-year-old victims, the result of an investigation that began on Sept. 7.
Two days later, Victor Callejas-Vargas, 22, of Hesperia, and Jesse Rodolfo Rios, 19, of Hesperia, were arrested after investigators from two police departments and a special unit concluded the initial stages of the inquiry.
The two men, who police believe assaulted other girls, appeared in court on Wednesday for arraignment.
Jesse Rodolfo Rios
Eventually, deputies from neighboring Hesperia Police Dept., along with investigators from the Crimes against Children Detail, joined the investigation, which was headed by Det. Michelle Brand and Sgt. Dana Foster.
Callejas-Vargas, an employee and youth pastor at the Centro Cristiano de Fe Church in Victorville, was arrested. The second suspect, Rios, is a member of the same church. Both victims were members of that church, according to investigators.
The Victorville police received the report of a possible inappropriate sexual relationship that took place between a 14-year-old female and two adult males. Further investigation led to the second victim. Callejas-Vargas faces three charges. He was booked on charges of sex with a minor three years younger, sex with a minor with the suspect over 21 and the victim under 16 and oral copulation with a person under 16.
Rios faces two counts. He was booked on charges of oral copulation with a person under 18 and sex with a foreign object. The church is located on Cottonwood Ave. in Hesperia. Both men, held at the High Desert Detention Center, were being held on $100,000 bail.
Read More:
The Sun: Hesperia youth pastor, parishioner plead not guilty to sex with teenage girls
Victor Valley News: Two church members arrested for sex crimes
