Man Arrested For Groping ​Schoolgirl In Santee: Sheriff

SANTEE, CA — A man was arrested on suspicion of groping a schoolgirl in Santee, authorities said Saturday.

Jose Lawrence Ruvalcaba, 29, was booked Friday on one felony count of lewd and lascivious act on a child under 14 years old with force, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

The incident happened shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday near Big Rock Park on Arlette Street. The girl, a 12-year-old Chet F. Harritt School student, was walking toward Big Rock Park with a friend when a man approached her and touched her chest, sheriff's Lt. Anthony O'Boyle said. When the victim's friend pushed the man away, he took off on an electric scooter.

An employee at the Santee Teen Center, also located at Big Rock Park, called the sheriff's department just before 6:30 p.m. Friday when he saw a man who matched the all-black clothing description of the suspect and his scooter.

Deputies found the suspect near the intersection of Prospect Avenue and Ellsworth Circle. The man matched the description of a suspect who was captured in surveillance video following the incident, Boyle said.

Ruvalcaba was booked into San Diego Central Jail. He was being held on $250,000 bail.