Three men arrested for arranging to meet minor for lewd purposes
40-year-old Genaro Santana Avalos of Santa Maria.
Men arrested in sting operation last week
– Three men were arrested in San Luis Obispo after arranging to meet with a person they believed to be under 15 years old for a sexual encounter, according to a report from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrests took place on Dec. 12 as part of an operation conducted by the San Luis Obispo County Counter Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes investigators from the sheriff’s office and San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office. The operation was aimed at intercepting child sex predators in the city of San Luis Obispo.
The men were arrested after each had arranged to meet with a person who they believed to be under 15 years old for the purposes of engaging in a sexual encounter. Instead, the person the men contacted was an undercover detective.
42-year-old Ernesto Fernandez of Santa Maria.
The suspects were identified as 40-year-old Genaro Santana Avalos of Santa Maria, 42-year-old Ernesto Fernandez of Santa Maria, and 29-year-old Salvador Mendoza Pille of Oceano. Each was arrested on suspicion of arranging to meet with a minor for lewd purposes.
The task force’s operation was conducted with assistance from the Santa Maria Police Department, San Luis Obispo Police Department, and the San Luis Obispo County Probation Department.
29-year-old Salvador Mendoza Pille of Oceano.
