Arrest for kidnapping and assault of 16-year-old girl, Sheriff’s Office reports

A Livingston man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping and sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit began an investigation into 35-year-old Edgar Perez Medina, who allegedly created a fake social media profile on Nov. 9, posing as an 18-year-old man, the Sheriff’s Office said.

He initiated communication with the minor and arranged to meet her the next day at a location in South Stanislaus County, according to a news release on Facebook.

According to the release, Medina met the minor near her home and ordered her into his car. He then drove to a remote orchard and forcibly sexually assaulted her. After the attack, Medina transported the minor to Turlock and dropped her off within the city limits.

After receiving the report, SVU detectives identified Medina and discovered that he was a registered sex offender under California Penal Code 290 in Merced County for a 2017 conviction involving a child. Medina is a lifetime registrant and his information on Megan’s Law is publicly available.

On Wednesday, SVU detectives arrested Medina in Livingston on a warrant. They also executed a search warrant at his home, where they seized his vehicle as evidence, the release said. Medina was also found in possession of child sexual abuse material.

He was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on five charges: kidnapping with intent to commit robbery, rape, oral copulation or sodomy; communicating with a minor to perform sexual acts; arranging to meet a minor to perform sexual acts; and possession of child pornography.

Medina was arraigned in court Friday and is being held on $4.8 million bail. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 209-525-7114.