Suspect in 4 Cases of Child Molestation, Attempted Kidnapping Now in Custody
Photo: Christopher Lopez
After a series of troubling child annoyance and attempted kidnapping incidents in Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has arrested a suspect.
The incidents took place over the course of two weeks. The first was at about 9:00 AM on September 12, 2019, when a 12-year-old girl reported that an unknown white man in his early 30s touched her while she was walking to school. The incident occurred near Windsong and Aliso Creek Road.
The second incident occurred at about 4:00 PM on September 17, along the Aliso Creek Hiking Trail in Aliso Viejo. A 16-year-old girl was walking home from school and reported that she was touched by a Hispanic man.
At about 6:30 PM the following day, an 11-year-old girl was walking her dog along the Aliso Creek Trail in Laguna Hills near Via Lomas and Sheep Hills Park. She reported that a Hispanic man grabbed her and tried to drag her toward the bushes. She screamed, and the man let her go and fled.
On September 24, at about 8:45 AM, a 28-year-old woman was walking along the Aliso Creek Hiking Trail near Sheep Hills Park. She reported that a man jogged up behind her and grabbed her elbow, pulling her toward him. She head-butted the would-be kidnapper, which caused him to let her go, and he ran away.
The first three victims were able to provide enough detail for a sketch artist to create approximate images. A Task Force of investigators was created to see whether the instances were related and to capture the suspect(s).
At about noon on September 25, police arrested 30-year-old Christopher Lopez of Aliso Viejo and booked him into the Orange County Jail on misdemeanor child molestation or annoyance charges.
The Task Force is continuing to follow up on any tips related to this case. “We encourage the public to maintain vigilance and personal safety measures,” the release states. “If you have any information to assist, please contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714-647-7000 or OC Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS or www.occrimestoppers.org.”
