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MCSO
Maricopa County authorities charge man with sex crimes against children
Glendale, Peoria, Phoenix police provide assistance
Posted
INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
A 30-year-old man has been arrested and booked on several counts from sexual assault to molestation of a child, authorities said Wednesday.
Jess Rodriguez was arrested Saturday, Jan. 21, as a suspect in several incidents that date back to 2019, according to a release from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
In July 2022, MCSO detectives were interviewing a victim on an unrelated crime when she provided information on an unreported allegation of sexual assault that occurred about two years earlier and involved a “Jessie Rodriguez,” the release stated.
Detectives were not able to interview the victim about those allegations until late December due to a medical matter, MCSO officials said.
After receiving additional details, detectives said they used “all available databases and open-source information.
“Investigators successfully identified the involved male as Jess Rodriguez, which was soon followed by the discovery of his involvement or connection to other sexual assault or sex crime allegations.”
Glendale, Phoenix and Peoria police departments and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office were part of the effort with MCSO.
The other allegations included a 15-year-old victim who said she met the suspect on social media and a 19-year-old woman who said her friend also met him on social media.
Several tips “were also connected to the suspect by way of his known emails, social media profiles and username” according to MCSO.
“In addition to the allegations involving the social media application, the suspect was alleged to have habitually abused a female victim from the age of 9 to 11 years of age.”
The suspect was put under surveillance as the investigation proceeded, authorities said.
He faces five counts of sexual assault, five counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of child molestation.
“Crimes against children remain a top priority for the sheriff’s office,” Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said.
“This shows exceptional work by multijurisdictional agencies to get a child predator off our streets.”
