Jason Esparza: California man faces child molestation allegations after grooming babysitters to abuse children
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Authorities are seeking help from the public to identify other victims of Jason Valentine Esparza who faces allegations of grooming female babysitters and bringing children as young as four to hotels for him to molest them. The 57-year-old California man was arrested over the sexual abuse that had been taking place for several decades.
Esparza faces multiple counts as he is charged with two felony counts of attempted forcible lewd act on a child under the age of 14, and three felony counts of attempted oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child 10 years old or younger, reported Law and Crime.
READ MORE
Naledi Roberts: Babysitter, 17, arrested for child abuse after forcing toddler to inhale marijuana
Sadistic family slapped with 50 child abuse charges as cops make horrifying discovery in their home
A 'monster of indescribable evil'
In a statement released on Friday, April 21, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said, "Someone who preys on the innocence of children for their own sexual gratification is a monster of indescribable evil. To plot, to calculate, and methodically carry out sexual attacks on unconscious children is something that can only be dreamt of and carried out by the sickest of minds."
"Children rely on adults for their safety and security, and as prosecutors, we do everything we can to protect our children from adults who would harm them and ensure these monsters will never be able to harm another child again," Spitzer added.
Detectives caught Esparza after a woman disguised herself as a babysitter
In September 2022, the Huntington Beach Police Department received an anonymous tip that led to the investigation into Esparza. The tip received from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) resulted in an eight-month probe where detectives with the HBPD Crimes Against Persons Unit communicated with the accused abuser through a woman who disguised herself as a babysitter with a four-year-old girl in her care. At the time, he allegedly conveyed wanting to perform specific sexual acts on the child, as per the press release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
The woman told Esparza that the four-year-old child would be in a hotel room in Huntington Beach on April 7, 2023. The 53-year-old then showed up at the hotel and was arrested. Kimberly Edds, a DA spokeswoman said, "We have significant evidence to show that he has been engaged in this activity for several decades." If convicted on all counts, Esparza who is set to be arraigned on April 28 may face up to 16 years and four months behind bars, reported Law and Crime.