Crime & Safety

Lake Elsinore Man Suspected Of Lewd Acts Near School Enters Plea

Jaime Delgado Araujo, 53, was arrested Sept. 18 near Murrieta Valley High School after police allegedly caught him exposing himself.

A Lake Elsinore man accused of engaging in lewd acts in view of female students outside Murrieta Valley High School pleaded not guilty today to misdemeanor charges.

Jaime Delgado Araujo, 53, was arrested Sept. 18 after Murrieta police officers allegedly caught him exposing himself.

Araujo is charged with two counts each of indecent exposure and annoying a child under 18. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail and the possibility of having to register as a sex offender.

Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He entered his plea today via his attorney, Andrei Lapine, during a hearing before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Raquel Marquez, who scheduled a trial-setting conference in the case for Feb. 24.

Araujo remains free on $2,500 bail.

Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad, undercover officers began conducting surveillance around Murrieta Valley High in response to complaints that a man was parking near the campus and masturbating while staring at girls walking by his vehicle.

Conrad said two girls, one 15 and the other 16, reported encounters on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12 -- the first at Washington Avenue and Vineyard Parkway, and the second at Washington and Nighthawk Way.

The youths described the same suspect: Hispanic, in his early 40s to early 50s, short and stocky with dark cropped hair.

About 7 a.m. on Sept. 18, investigators spotted a man matching the suspect's description and observed him "commit a lewd act" in his car, leading to his arrest moments later, Conrad said.

"Araujo was identified by one of the previous victims," the lieutenant said. "Araujo admitted to detectives that he was responsible for the two previous indecent exposure incidents."

The defendant was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta but posted bond a short time later and was released.


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