An Anaheim man is in police custody after luring a minor into a hotel and raping her.
The suspect, 33-year-old Matthew Martinez Casteneda, allegedly used the social networking site MySpace to convince the 12-year-old girl to meet him at the South Coast Plaza mall in Costa Mesa.
According to Anaheim police, Casteneda took the girl to Zaby’s Motor Lodge where he raped her. After they had sex, Casteneda left the victim at the hotel stranded without her bus pass. Police say she was able to flag down a civilian police traffic controller for help.
The victim didn’t reveal what happened right away. What had occurred in the hotel room was only revealed after police connected the girl to a missing person report.
If you have been charged with using the Internet to lure a minor for sex, you need to contact a Los Angeles sex crime defense attorney at Okabe & Haushalter right away. Using the Internet to carry out a sex crime is a very serious offense, one that can easily land you in prison and label you as a sex offender. In addition, if the crime was committed against a minor, you can trust you will face enhanced penalties, as sex crimes against a child are absolutely not tolerated in the state of California.
Because you committed your crime on the Internet, there is a good chance the prosecution will be able to track incriminating evidence back to you. You need someone on your side who knows how to defend people against Internet sex crimes to maximize your chances of successfully overcoming these charges. To learn how an attorney at Okabe & Haushalter can help you during this troubling time, please don’t hesitate to contact the office by calling 310-430-7799!
