A Lomas Santa Fe man accused of soliciting a sex act from a minor in a public library had a collection of library cards, officials said. Now, NBC 7 has obtained court documents showing the suspect has been questioned in similar incidents reported at other libraries.
Sean O’Farrell, 40, pleaded not guilty Friday to one count of felony possession of child pornography.
Prosecutors say when San Diego County Sheriff's deputies served a search warrant to the suspect's parent's home, they found hundreds of videos showing minors in a state of undress, naked or performing sexual acts. The average age of the victims was estimated to be 14 to 17 years old, officials said.
O'Farrell was arrested in San Bernardino County on Aug 18. He's accused of offering cash to a minor in a library bathroom in exchange for a sex act.
NBC 7 has obtained the search warrant affidavit in the case and it shows a troubling timeline of allegations involving O’Farrell dating back 13 years.
He was questioned in connection to reports from minors complaining of an adult watching them urinate in public bathrooms and stalking them. No charges were filed in any of the cases.
Among the previous reports:
2002 — Two male teenagers told San Diego Police a man followed them into the bathroom at Carmel Valley Library and watched them urinate. SDPD contacted O’Farrell and released him without charge.
2006 — O’Farrell was listed as a suspect in two stalking cases under investigation by San Diego Police. The files are marked confidential.
Local
2010 — A male juvenile reported seeing a man looking at him in the bathroom at the Earl Warren Middle School's library. San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies found O’Farrell in the bathroom, the documents state. O’Farrell was released.
2012 — A 13-year-old male told Carmel Valley library staffers that a man was watching him in the bathroom through the stalls. The case was not pursued because the victim’s parents did not give their consent for the minor to cooperate with investigators.
2013 — A man was reportedly following two juveniles at Solana Beach library.
2014 — Woman awoke to discover her grandson missing. Using the boy’s cellphone, she tracked him to a nearby restaurant where she found him in a car, the document states. O’Farrell was allegedly also inside the vehicle but told officials nothing sexual happened.
2015 — O’Farrell faces criminal charges in San Bernardino County for approaching a 15 year old in the bathroom at the Rancho Cucamonga Library. Officials claim O’Farrell offered cash to the boy in exchange for a sex act.
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department investigators seized three DVDs, two VHS tapes, 100 CDs, a laptop and an iPhone from O’Farrell’s parents’ home.
O'Farrell faces three years in prison if convicted. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 12.
