VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - Deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office's Fillmore and Camarillo stations rescued a 14-year-old girl from a motel in Camarillo and arrested a 29-year-old Lompoc man for multiple charges including unlawful sex with a minor and lewd acts on a child Tuesday.
On Nov. 12, 2024, a call was received about a missing 14-year-old girl who was absent from her school in Fillmore stated a press release from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Wednesday.
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, school resource officers used a cellular phone tracking application to locate the missing teen at a motel in Camarillo.
Deputies arrived at the motel and began to search surveillance footage to locate the missing teen, but spotted two people in a vehicle in the motel parking who matched the description shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
The 14-year-old and a man, later identified as a 29-year-old Lompoc man, were detained in the parking lot and the man was taken into custody and transported to the Camarillo Police Station detailed the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
The Lompoc man was booked into the Ventura County Jail on the following charges:
The Ventura County Sheriff's Office shared that the 29-year-old's bail has been set at $250,000 and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 14, 2024.
The missing girl was evaluated by medical professionals and reunited with her family shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
An investigation revealed that the 14-year-old met the 29-year-old Lompoc man through a social media application and that they had been in communication through social media for about two weeks before planning to meet in person explained the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the teen went willingly with the 29-year-old who had employed "typical grooming techniques" when communicating with the 14-year-old.
Information and age-appropriate education presentations about online safety from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children can be found here and the Ventura County Sheriff's Office encourages parents and guardians to talk with the children under their care about safety while online.