SANTA CRUZ — A 35-year-old Watsonville man who law enforcement said used social media to expose young teens to drugs and sex, pleaded not guilty to charges Monday.
Luis Alberto Salas remained held without bail this week after the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, the lead investigating agency in a cross-county collaboration, sought the county jail hold last month to potentially allow additional victims to come forward, according to court filings. As of Monday’s third amended complaint, Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Jason Gill had identified seven unidentified “Jane Doe” victims in his criminal filings.
In an early Sept. 4 filing, Gill listed separate related criminal investigations into Salas involving the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Scotts Valley, as well as unincorporated Santa Cruz County. Gill wrote that Salas allegedly “poses too great a danger to the public if released.”
In the filing, the assistant district attorney stated, “Defendant is placing the children of Santa Cruz County at extreme risk of death because he is supplying drugs and alcohol to minors and he is also exposing children to sexual assault crimes despite the fact he is currently pending a child molest case.” Furthermore, Gill outlined, “We also consider him a flight risk because he has no significant community ties, the charges in this case carry significant consequences, and simply put — we don’t trust this defendant to show up on his good word.”
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Salas struck a plea deal with the district attorney’s office in a 2008 Watsonville Police Department case and was convicted on charges related to child abuse and vandalism. In November, Salas also was charged in a sheriff’s office case with a misdemeanor for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, arranging to meet with a minor, public intoxication and annoying or molesting a child under 18. According to court filings, the suspect was accused of bringing alcohol to a party thrown by a 17-year-old and later groping the teen. Prior to his most recent arrest, Salas had been ordered released from jail pending the outcome of the 2023 case.
In his latest case, Salas’ charges specify a period between August 2022 and his arrest in early September. The girls, who were anonymously identified in court filings, are described as being as young as 13 and as old as 16. Among the now 42 criminal counts Salas has been charged with, alleged violations span rape and soliciting a commercial sex act, to providing the teens with marijuana and child abuse. Per the prosecution’s court filings, Salas’ alleged crimes were “motivated by an unnatural and abnormal sexual interest in children.”
Sheriff’s office authorities believe Salas used social media accounts to sell drugs and alcohol to underage victims in exchange for sexual favors and money — primarily through the Snapchat app — while using handles such as “Cookies_squad,” “Penjaminpookie” and “LuciousLouie.”
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