Photo: Charles Thomas Lopez
A 25-year-old man has been arrested for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old child whom he met in an online chat room. Police believe there may be other victims.
The suspect is 25-year-old Charles Thomas Lopez of Norco. “At the time of his arrest, Detectives learned that Lopez was currently out on bail, awaiting trial, on charges of a previous sexual assault of a child,” according to the Brea Police Department’s press release.
After contacting the victim in the chat room, Lopez allegedly traveled from Riverside County to Brea to sexually assault the child. The child’s parents reported the assault to Brea police on September 2, 2020, the day after it occurred.
Brea police detectives were able to identify, locate, and arrest the suspect by that evening. Lopez was arrested for multiple felony assault charges.
Police officials believe Lopez has victimized others and are asking anyone with information about this suspect to contact Detective Ryan Trent at 714-990-7618.
“The Brea Police Department encourages parents to discuss with their children the dangers of online chat rooms and apps. We also encourage the monitoring of their social media accounts.” Brea Police also recommend that parents and their children learn more information and access the resources provided by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website, Internet Safety Resources.
https://www.missingkids.org/
