A Norwalk man who worked as a gardener in Long Beach and several other cities was arrested for multiple sexual battery incidents, and authorities believe there may be more victims.
38-year-old Meliton Santoyo Jaramillo was held at the Long Beach City jail with no bail, facing three counts of sexual battery.
The Long Beach police investigators said Jaramillo was working for the victims in the three incidents.
Two of his victims were believed to be elderly women, who were assaulted by the suspect in August 2023 on Bellflower Boulevard and Wardlow Road.
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Another alleged crime happened on Feb. 22 near the same location against a female adult victim.
Neighbors who had also hired Jaramillo said they were "surprised" by his arrest.
"he was a good gardener, not a good person," said Dennis Cates, who hired the suspect to work on his lawn for seven years in Long Beach's South of Conant neighborhood. He also said he knows two of the alleged victims.
Initially police did not know about the alleged assaults because none of the victims reported them. But investigators began to look closely into allegations after seeing a social media posting.
"Detectives were able to follow up and finding three very similar incidents involving the same person,” said Long Beach city prosecutor Doug Haubert.
Detectives asked any possible victims to come forward by calling (562) 570-7368.
Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477.)
