A Carmel Valley man was behind bars Wednesday, accused of exposing himself to girls walking home from school through his neighborhood during a decade-long period, authorities reported.
Rene Cruz, 27, has allegedly flashed at least 17 students of Solana Pacific Elementary School, Carmel Valley Middle School and Torrey Pines High School during the past 10 years, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Cruz typically pulled up alongside victims in a light-colored Toyota Corolla or a silver Buick SUV, then slid over to the passenger seat and exposed himself through an open passenger-side door, SDPD Detective Michael Weaver said on Wednesday.
Later in the day, another SDPD spokesman, Lt. Paul Yang, told NBC 7 that Cruz was identified as a suspect in the latest case, which took place in May, during which a victim who attends high school took a photo of Yang's vehicle with her cell phone. Police said Cruz was not near a school when he was arrested on Monday.
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Yang declined to confirm whether Cruz is connected to previous, similar cases NBC 7 reported on in the past, including on Nov. 18, 2019, when San Diego police received a call just before 4 p.m. from a mother who called to report her daughter and five friends were victims of an indecent exposure while walking near Claymont Court while headed to Carmel Valley Middle School. The victims were all just 12 years old when it happened.
A year later, San Diego police told NBC 7 that they were investigating four separate complaints of indecent exposure all within a few miles of each other, and near middle and high schools. Two of those complaints came from the Carmel Valley Middle School area, a third near Torrey Pines High School in May, when a student reported seeing a man inappropriately touching himself in his car. And in January of 2020, two Pacific Trails Middle School students reported a similar scene near their school. The very next day, a second report of a man doing the same thing in his car was reported near Carmel Valley Middle School.
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Investigators suspect there may be more victims in the case who have not come forward and are asking for anybody with more information about the case to contact Detective Michael Weaver of SDPD’s Northwestern Division. Tips can also be called in anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
Cruz was arrested Monday and booked into San Diego Central Jail on two misdemeanor counts each of indecent exposure and performing lewd acts in public.
