BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Shafter man was arrested on suspicion of child molestation after allegedly portraying himself as a minor online, according to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched to a residence in Dinuba, in Tulare County, on Tuesday for a report of a possible child molestation after a family member found a man in a 12-year-old girl’s bedroom, according to sheriff officials.
Tulare County Sheriff’s Office officials say the man, identified as Genaro Almanza Morales, III, 26, and a 12-year-old met online where he portrayed himself to be 14 to 16 years old.
Officials say Morales drove his vehicle to the home and forced the victim to engage in sexual acts.
Morales fled but was found at a gas station in Shafter by law enforcement, according to sheriff officials. He was taken into custody and arrested on suspicion of eight counts of child molestation.
Morales is scheduled to appear in court Thursday in Tulare County, according to inmate records.
