San Jose police arrest 22 sex-crime suspects in sweep
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Police Department arrested 22 suspects wanted for sex crimes, some dating back years.
The SJPD Sexual Assault Investigations Unit conducted an "operational sweep" last month that targeted suspects with outstanding warrants.
The 22 arrested suspects face charges ranging from misdemeanor sexual assault to felonies involving sexual assault of a minor and rape.
The lone woman arrested in the sweep, Deseri Barron, 42, has been charged by prosecutors with lewd acts with a boy in 2018 and 2019, when he was between 3 and 5 years old.
The oldest suspect is Antonio Zacariz, 73, who worked as a massage therapist at his home and is accused of assaulting at least two clients.
"I would like to thank all the San José Police Department members involved in this operation for their amazing work to bring these individuals into custody and helping bring the first steps towards healing for the survivors of these terrible crimes," San Jose Chief of Police Anthony Mata said.
The SJPD Sexual Assault Investigations Unit consists of over 25 officers, including many sergeants, said Steve Aponte, an officer with SJPD, at a press conference. Aponte added that he was unsure of the number of felonies involved in the 22 cases, but estimated that a majority involve felonies.
"This is a very large movement of personnel dedicated to making sure that these people, who have caused tremendous pain to their survivors, are brought into custody," he said, adding that tomorrow SJPD plans to announce the recent arrest of a math instructor accused of sex crimes.
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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Aponte said SJPD officers are wearing teal ribbons to highlight the courageous actions of survivors.
"We commemorate the bravely that it took for so many survivors to experience the trauma and come forward and report it anyway," Aponte said.
SJPD said there may be more victims and urged anyone with information about these cases to contact the SJPD Sexual Assault Investigations Unit at 408-277-4102.
Here is a full list of the arrested suspects:
Juan Avila 41 Years
Henry Avilez Castillo, 34
Deseri Barron, 42
Christopher Bifano, 45
Vu Tin Do, 31
Austin Flores, 25
Hung Duc Hong, 58
Robert Kim, 36
Kenyon McWilliams, 57
Amir Najafi, 45
David Napan, 41
Paul Clayton Orr, 38
Pedro Plancarte, 53
Oscar Ramos, 36
Raudel Rosales-Sandoval, 54
Fidel Torres Reyes, 49
Imran Ullah, 26
Norberto Velarde-Rios, 44
David Velasco, 40
Marcos Villareal, 41
Antonio Zacariz, 73
Adolfo Orozco Rosales, 39