A 25-year-old Riverside County man was taken into custody Thursday, on allegations that he communicated with a 12-year-old child for the purpose of committing “lewd acts.”
Joshua Meza, 25, of Corona, was arrested Thursday afternoon hours after he was reported to have driven away with the 12-year-old victim.
According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, Meza and the juvenile met up near a middle school on the 78800 block of Avenue 50 in La Quinta, and then fled the area in his car.
School officials wrote down the license plate number and provided authorities with a description of the vehicle.
Sheriff’s deputies searched the area and were able to locate Meza’s car several hours later as it returned to the initial location.
Meza was taken into custody by deputies and the unidentified child was returned to her parents; she was uninjured, officials said.
Investigators believe the child was communicating with Meza on social media, and the 25-year-old met up with her with the intent of committing a sex crime.
Deputies searched his car and also recovered a firearm. Meza was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center where he remains in custody on $200,000 bail.
According to jail records, he is due in court on Tuesday and is expected to be charged with multiple felony sex crimes, as well as one count for possessing a firearm on school grounds.
Anyone with information about the investigation or the suspect is urged to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit at 760-863-2585. Anonymous tips can be made by calling 760-341-7867.