Lake Elsinore Man Found Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting 3 Girls

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A 53-year-old Lake Elsinore man who repeatedly sexually assaulted three girls, then fled to Guatemala after learning he was under investigation, will face life in prison with the possibility of parole when he's sentenced next month.

Following four days of deliberations, a Riverside jury on Monday convicted Santos Erasmo Garcia of 22 felony counts, most of which stemmed from aggravated sexual assault of a minor or forcible lewd acts on a child, as well as sentence-enhancing allegations of targeting more than one underage victim in sex crimes.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Tim Hollenhorst scheduled a sentencing hearing for April 10 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Garcia is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.

Court documents said that between September 2010 and April 2017, the defendant molested three girls identified in court documents only as "J.H." "L.R." and "M.R."

One of the victims said Garcia forced her to have sex with him and otherwise assaulted her on other occasions -- the first time when she was 8, according to a sheriff's arrest warrant declaration.

The youth described how Garcia threw her onto a bed, got on top of her and kissed her neck, but she screamed and he stopped. When the child was 9, the defendant began to touch her chest and privates, according to the affidavit. He would pull over to do it whenever she was in the car with him and would tell her if she wanted a new phone or a ride to the second victim's home, she would have to "do it."

By the time she was 11 or 12, Garcia began trying to penetrate her and would attempt to make her perform oral sex, according to court documents. He also began to have sex with her and the second victim, making either of the two watch while he abused one.

The second victim said her first experience with Garcia was when she was 5, and he touched her privates. He also attempted to rape her when she was 7, and a few other times when she was 10 or 11, investigators said.

He additionally attempted to compel her to perform oral sex and molested her on a weekly basis, the affidavit said.

The last assault on the two victims happened in March 2017, and in that same year the first victim contacted the second victim, saying she intended to disclose what Garcia had done, according to the declaration.

On June 6, 2017, the first victim was interviewed, followed a month later by the other girl, and the third victim not long afterward. The only detail available about the third victim was that Garcia touched her chest and privates.

His specific relationship to the children was not detailed in documents.

"Garcia learned about the accusations and fled to Guatemala," sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Reese said later.

In September 2023, law enforcement personnel in Guatemala, working with authorities in Riverside County, tracked down and arrest the defendant without incident. He was then extradited back to the United States.

He had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.