Famous Teen Skateboarder and Two Others Arrested for Child Exploitation
Additional Victims Sought
Famous Compton teen skateboarder Steven Fernandez’s recent arrest may have caused his rise to celebrity fame to reach its peak.
According to the report, Fernandez told the 12-year-old victim to come over to a car he was in on Ventura Blvd, where he offered his false pitch. The pitch was that he promised the victim that she would be able to meet A-list performers and appear in Fernandez’s “MTV” special, (which did not exist) if she were to engage in sexual acts with himself, Barajas, and Dadd. The victim agreed with Fernandez to perform the sexual acts.
Soon after, the victim informed the police. Detectives subsequently posed as the 12-year-old girl and told the suspects to meet up in an abandoned home via text message, where they would purportedly have sex. They were scheduled to meet in the abandoned house on November 17th, where they were then detained by police
On November 17th, Fernandez, 15, and his manager, Jose Barajas, 22, were arrested for engaging in child exploitation with a child under 14. Keelan Lamar Dadd,27, turned himself in on December 3rd with his lawyer.
The detectives on the case fear that Fernandez may have additional victims that have yet to report the allegations. Detective Toosbuy explained, “Fernandez and his buddies used his fame and brand to sexually exploit the very girls who made the men rich and famous. We’re taking exceptional measures to find additional victims because the fate of some young lives may be at stake.”
All three men were booked and charged for Lewd and Lascivious Acts with a Child Under 14. Baraja’s bail was set at $475,000 and Dadd’s bail was set at $200,000. Both men were bailed out. Since Fernandez is a minor, he was released to his mother and is required to wear an ankle tracker while his court date is pending.
Fernandez’s rise to fame came from his YouTube videos, where he has accumulated over 700,000 followers. He currently has an Instagram account with 1 million followers and a twitter account with around 176,000 followers. He tweeted a very vague “apology” that stated, “**** I feel like I’m letting so many down.”
Furthermore, prior to this post, he posted a note to his fans saying he apologizes for postponing his event the “Traphouse” that was scheduled for December 19th. After all that has transpired recently around him, the event “Traphouse” sounds like an actual trap rather than event.
A screenshot of the note Fernandez put on his twitter for his highly anticipated “Traphouse” event.
Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call Detective Ninette Toosbuy, West Valley Detectives, at (818) 374-7718. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 or (877-527-3247).
