SAN DIEGO — A 27-year-old Carmel Valley man accused of targeting and exposing himself to at least 17 school-aged children over a decade appeared in court today, Thursday, November 14.
Rene Cruz faces 24 counts of indecent exposure for incidents occurring between October 2023 and May 2024. A Superior Court Judge agreed to continue Cruz' scheduled court hearing to January 2025.
On November 4, 2024, officers from the San Diego Police Department's Northwestern Division arrested Cruz on a $200,000 arrest warrant. The arrest came after numerous reports from victims who described a man parked near various schools with his passenger-side car door open, exposing his genitals and masturbating as students walked home from school.
The alleged incidents occurred near several North San Diego schools, including Torrey Pines High School, Carmel Valley Middle School, Solana Pacific Elementary School, and Ashley Falls Elementary School. Search warrants executed by the San Diego Police Department linked Cruz to these incidents.
Cruz appeared in court for his arraignment on November 6, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. Despite the severity of the accusations, he was released on supervised release with several strict conditions. The court ordered Cruz to wear a GPS tracking device and to stay at least 100 yards away from all schools in San Diego County. Additionally, he is prohibited from approaching young children and must not associate or have contact with minors.
