On December 29, 2012, the Tucson Police Department responded to a local residence in response to a 911 call and spoke to a Tucson mother who discovered that her 11-year old daughter was interacting in an inappropriate manner with an unknown adult male through the social media site Facebook. The interaction included graphic pictures and sexual conversation between the two.
Tucson Police Department officers took the initial police report and notified Detectives from the Tucson Police Family and Youth Services Section who responded to continue the investigation.
The investigation disclosed that the suspect had attempted to arrange a personal meeting with the 11-year old female to engage in sexual conduct. He expressed an interest in videotaping the sexual encounter and attempted to entice her with payment. On January 3, 2012, the suspect arranged the meeting with the minor female and, upon his arrival, was subsequently arrested with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Child Predator Apprehension Team and plain clothes TPD officers. The suspect was identified as 28-year old Jesus Ballesteros. He was booked into the Pima County Jail for the following charges:
• One count of Aggravated Luring of a Minor
• One count of Attempted Child Prostitution
• One count of Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
• One count of Attempted Sexual Conduct with a Minor
A subsequent investigation revealed that Mr. Ballesteros has made contact with numerous female juveniles with sexual intent, to include sharing of graphic photographs and conversations of a sexual nature. Detectives also learned that Mr. Ballesteros has prior convictions for sexual offenses.
The Tucson Police Department is concerned that there may be other victims within our community. The Tucson Police Department highly recommends that parents check their children’s Facebook and other Social Media Accounts for the profile picture and profile name. Anyone locating this individual on their child’s social media account is urged to call Detective Dan Barry of TPD’s Family and Youth Services Section at 520-837-7596 or 911 immediately.
The Tucson Police Department urges parents to continually monitor their children’s Facebook and any other social media accounts they have access to. Knowing and monitoring your child’s online friends, connections and conversation is crucial for their safety.
The Tucson Department says it embraces its role in protecting children in our community and will continue all efforts to identify and apprehend child predators.
