Police say a man working as a gardener in East Long Beach has been arrested in connection to a string of sexual battery incidents against women who hired him.
Meliton Santoyo Jaramillo, a 38-year-old Norwalk man, is accused of abusing three women, two of whom were elderly, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Investigators suspect there could be more victims.
All three of the incidents occurred near Bellflower Boulevard and Wardlow Road, police said. The first two happened in August 2023, and the latest was on Feb. 22 this year.
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Police said detectives arrested Jaramillo Monday in La Mirada. He is still in custody and is being held without bail, according to the LBPD.
Court records show he’s been charged with three counts of misdemeanor sexual battery, which involves touching “an intimate part of another person” against their will, according to the state penal code.
He could face a maximum of 18 months in jail if he’s convicted on all charges, according to the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s office, which handles misdemeanor cases in the city.
City Prosecutor Doug Haubert praised police’s handling of the case, saying they followed up on accusations posted on social media and “uncovered the two prior incidents from August last year.”
Haubert also applauded the women who came forward “in an effort to prevent this from happening to anyone else.”
Jaramillo was expected to make his first court appearance today.
Police asked anyone with information about more possible crimes to contact detectives at 562-570-7368. Anonymous tips can be sent through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.