SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A man accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl was previously caught looking up women and girls' skirts at department stores, a prosecutor alleged in court Friday.
Jose Santana has pleaded not guilty to two counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 years of age with force and had his bail request denied Friday at his arraignment. The charges stem from an incident in Poway last Saturday.
Deputy District Attorney Seralyn Fields alleged in court that Santana came out of a laundry room at an apartment building he didn’t live in and threw the girl to the ground. The girl had been playing outside with her friend, who screamed as the assault took place.
Fields alleged that while Santana does not have a criminal record, he had previously been caught looking up women's skirts at a Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx in Carmel Valley in 2024, but his identity had not been known until now.
Authorities searched Santana's home and vehicle after the assault and found condoms, binoculars and recording equipment, Fields said.
"Every act of sexual violence against anyone is extremely disturbing, let alone you couple that with someone who's just outside playing with their friends at ten years old, right? So when we think about that and the complete stranger nature of this, it's certainly concerning," Fields told reporters after the arraignment.
The public defender in the case said Santana has no criminal record and is a bookkeeper who has been a lifelong resident of San Diego County.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Aaron Katz denied Santana's bail, citing him as a danger to the community. If convicted, he could face over 20 years in prison.
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