Police: Hollister man, 74, accused of sexually assaulting underage boys as far back as 1980s
Detectives have arrested a 74-year-old Hollister man in connection to multiple alleged sexual assaults on underage males dating all the way back to the late 80s and possibly even earlier, police have announced.
On October 12th, a man came forward and reported to police that Gilbert Cortez had sexually assaulted him when the victim was a juvenile. The investigating detective later uncovered several reports of sexual assault against Cortez dating back to the early 1990s and 2000s, though none had resulted in an arrest and could no longer be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations.
The detective then began working with the District Attorney’s Office to locate and re-interview the alleged victims documented in the reports, as well as locate and interview other potential victims named by others involved, police said.
At last, the detectives were able to locate two victims who alleged that they had been assaulted by Cortez recently enough that the crimes could be prosecuted.
On November 17th, detectives drafted a search warrant for Cortez’s home on the 100 block of College Street, and ultimately took him into custody. He remains housed at the San Benito County jail with his bail set at $1 million.
Police believe that Cortez’s alleged crimes date as far back as the early 1980s, and that there could be more victims. Cortez has been active in the community, coaching Little League and participating in other community events and functions, since the ’70s, police said.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is strongly encouraged to reach out to Detective Morgan at 831-638-4331. Those wishing to remain anonymous may also contact WeTip at (800) 78-CRIME.
