Suspect posed as a Walmart Employee
SALINAS—The Salinas Police Department were looking for 35-year-old Jorge Cervantes of Salinas as a person of interest in a molestation incident that happened on Friday, December 12 at the Walmart on North Main Street. Cervantes turned himself in to police on Saturday morning.
Jorge Cervantes booking photo
On Friday evening, at 4:59, Salinas Police responded to a call from the Walmart on North Main Street to a report of a 10-year-old girl being assaulted by a man who claimed to be an employee.
According to police, Cervantes posed has a Walmart Team Member and approached the victim and offered his assistance. Cervantes tried to lure the little girl outside the store, but when he discovered that the doors were locked, Cervantes led the victim to the bathroom. That is where police believed that the initial assault took place.
He then took the victim away from the bathrooms. Cervantes reportedly assaulted the 10-year-old victim one more time in one of the store aisles. The little girl was able to break away from him and run to seek help. Cervantes then fled the store.
While police were looking for Cervantes, he turned himself in on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. in front of the police station. He was questioned about the incident, and then arrested and transported to Monterey County Jail. Cervantes was booked on charges of kidnapping, child molestation and false imprisonment. Police asked and received an escalation of his bail, which has been set at $1,000,000.00 dollars.
