Quick Take
Multiple Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies are investigating a Watsonville man on child sex and drug charges — with several of the agencies saying they have identified multiple victims, but not offering a specific number. Police have interviewed “numerous” people who came into contact with Luis Alberto Salas, accused of reaching out to minors on Snapchat with offers of drugs in exchange for sex. In the wake of his arrest, public school officials across the county are reaching out to parents with a warning about social media use and online predators and resources in case they have a child who might have come in contact with him.
Local law enforcement agencies investigating 35-year-old Luis Alberto Salas, charged with various child sex and drug crimes related to contact with minors over Snapchat and other social media, say that there are a number of victims in different jurisdictions across Santa Cruz County. They do not have a total number at this time.
On Monday, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning to local guardians and parents of minors to be cautious about their children’s use of social media after arresting Salas on Sept. 3.
Salas, who is currently being held without bail, is facing charges that include contacting a minor with the intent for sex, kidnapping, false imprisonment and drug crimes. He is facing 24 counts in total. Along with the sheriff’s office, the Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Watsonville police departments are all investigating the case — and working to identify victims in each jurisdiction.
Santa Cruz Police Detective Sgt. Mark Eveleth told Lookout that investigators have identified several victims: “Some of them are residents of Santa Cruz, or at least go to school here.”
Sheriff’s office spokesperson Ashley Keehn said that, since Salas’ arrest, “several” victims have come forward, but she could not provide an exact number.
Scotts Valley Police Detective Sgt. Pascale Drozek said that there have been no victims identified as Scotts Valley residents.
Capitola Police Chief Sarah Ryan said her department has received “a couple complaints” regarding the case, but did not provide further detail. “Talking about juveniles is dicey,” she said.
Watsonville Police Department spokesperson Michelle Pulido did not respond to Lookout’s request for inquiry by publication time.
Eveleth said that SCPD and other law enforcement agencies first received a report about a man offering drugs in exchange for sex acts. He added that it soon became clear that there were Santa Cruzans aware of the crimes.
“It became a thing where people had heard of this going on, but weren’t directly involved. People in Santa Cruz knew, but none of the acts actually happened in Santa Cruz,” Eveleth said.
Eveleth said that it took some time before investigators were able to locate and identify someone directly involved with Salas, but said that at this point, they have interviewed a “significant number of witnesses.”
The sheriff’s department said Salas used Snapchat handles that included “Cookies_squad,” “Penjaminpookie” and “LuciousLouie.” They’re asking anyone with information about him to contact their office at 831-471-1121.
While the investigation moves forward and Salas awaits his Oct. 24 arraignment, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education (COE) is notifying its students and their parents and guardians of the arrest and ongoing investigation.
In a letter to families signed by all 10 school district superintendents and county superintendent Farris Sabbah, administrators said that Salas allegedly used Snapchat to contact his victims, and shared a number of resources including those from the California Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commission, SafetyNet and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The letter also links to a tip line where people can report child sexual exploitation incidents.
COE spokesperson Nick Ibarra said that the ongoing investigation reflects the necessity of staying safe online, and added that pointing students and families in the direction of education and safety opportunities is what the COE believes it can do to help the most at this time.
“This case highlights the importance of sharing digital safety practices with families. All families should be discussing online safety with their children,” he said, adding that it also speaks to the need to have conversations about the age at which kids should have smartphones and how they should use them. “We want to make sure we’re getting the best and most actionable resources out there in a case like this.”
Keehn said that the sheriff’s office is sending a similar message to county families, and said cases involving social media have become a greater concern for local law enforcement agencies.
“With the growth of social media over the years, it definitely is something that we’ve seen more of in the past 10 years. The popularity of Snapchat and other platforms like it makes it easier for adults to communicate with minors and sometimes parents aren’t aware,” she said. “We are really urging parents and guardians to be mindful of the platforms their kids are using, who they’re talking to, and making sure they’re staying engaged to hopefully keep this from happening.”
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