San Jose police arrest 35 sex assault suspects in major bust

Dozens arrested in South Bay crackdown on sex crimes

KTVU's Jesse Gary reports.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose police on Tuesday released the names and photos of 35 sex assault suspects who they said had outstanding warrants during an operational sweep.

The men were picked up between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14. All of them live in San Jose.

All of the suspects are charged with sex crimes ranging from misdemeanor sexual assault to felony cases of sexual assault of a minor and rape, San Jose police said in a news release.

"Many times, sexual assault suspects they’re not limited to just one victim. Sometimes the start with an assault that can escalate to a rape," said Sgt. Christian Camarillo.

The dates of these cases ranged from 2016 to as early as this month.

"This successful operation is a testament to the department-wide dedication at our San José Police Department to hold violent offenders accountable and uphold our standards for trauma-informed response to improve closure rates for survivors," Councilwoman Sylvia Arenas said in a statement. "Sexual assault crimes are notorious for being underreported and of those reported even less lead to arrests," Arenas said. "I hope that these successful arrests will aid survivors in their journey of healing, some who may have waited as long as six years for justice, and empower more survivors to come forward."

The crimes occurred in a span of six years. The bulk of the arrests took place over the past six-weeks, during an operational sweep by the San Jose Police Department.

"We pretty much had to enlist every unit that has arrest capabilities to help us go out, locate, and apprehend these suspects," said Camarillo.

Nelson McElmurry, a lawyer representing one of the accused, Issac Delarosa, said his client is not guilty of the charges.

McElmurry said the charges stem from Delarosa and a female friend making out at a party in May of 2021. The encounter led her to pursue changes for sexual assault.

"It’s not a case regarding intercourse. What it is, is a question about, after they kissed what else, if anything, occurred?," asked McElmurry. "It just made it seem like he was involved in this larger, sexual assault scheme if you will."

Police investigators and their allies said the sweep and subsequent arrests help victims shed the stigma of reporting sexual assault. And help deter would-be criminals from acting.

"What it really represents for a victim, it’s closure for themselves. Maybe the beginning of healing, of moving on from this very traumatic assault of their bodies and of themselves, who they are, and being able to move forward," said Arenas.

Officials said it will take weeks for the courts to wade through and resolve all the cases from this sweep.

Anyone with additional information about these cases is urged to contact the San José Police Department’s Sexual Assault Investigations Unit at 408-537-1394.

Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.svcrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program.