GREENFIELD — On Sept. 17, officers from the Greenfield Police Department were dispatched to a residence in Greenfield regarding a minor having sex with an adult. Due to the nature of the complaint, the investigation was turned over to the South County Major Crimes Investigations Unit.
The ensuing investigation revealed that Ricardo Isidro Najera, 21, of Greenfield was engaging in sexual activity with female minors under 14 years of age.
According to police, Najera would meet and friend potential victims on a social media site using a pseudonym and coerce them into meeting him for sex. Once he met with the victim, he would take them to motels in Greenfield and Soledad and engage in sexual activity.
Najera was contacted by investigators Oct. 10 and, during this portion of the investigation, was found to be in possession of child pornography. He was arrested without incident and taken to Monterey County Jail on charges for lewd acts with a minor under 14 years of age, sex with a minor three years or younger than the perpetrator and possession of child pornography.
“No other information is being released at this time, as the investigation is continuing,” police said in a news release Oct. 12.
Investigators are reaching out to the public for help in this case. Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact Det. Leo Guzman at 831-888-7168 or Det. Joshue Partida 831-718-7241 of the Major Crimes Investigations Unit or the WeTip line at 1-800-78-CRIME.
