Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
The Tulare County Sheriff's Office said Almanza Morales portrayed himself online as a 14-year-old boy.
A Shafter man was arrested on May 23 in a possible child molestation investigation.
Tulare County Sheriff's Office deputies say that around 4:30 a.m. they received a call from a home in Dinuba for a call about a possible child molestation. Upon arrival, authorities learned that the grandmother of a 12-year-old Dinuba girl had found a man, later identified as 26-year-old Genaro Almanza Morales III, of Shafter, in her granddaughter's bedroom.
While investigating, detectives say that the juvenile victim had met Morales online, where he portrayed himself to be a 14-to-16-year-old teen. Morales had driven to the victim's home and forced her to engage in sexual acts with him, deputies said.
Morales fled the area, but was found in a Shafter gas station. He was apprehended by the Sheriff's County Apprehension Team Tracking Criminals in Hiding, or CATTCH, team.
Deputies say that Morales was taken into custody without further incident and was booked under the suspicion of eight counts of child molestation.
The investigation is still active. The Sheriff's Office urged anyone with information on the case to contact them at 559-733-6218.
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