An Oregon man allegedly used social media to meet single mothers with young daughters and then sexually assaulted the women and children, authorities said.
Antonio Arredondo, 37, has been charged with three counts of rape, two counts of sodomy and four counts of sexual abuse in four counts in Oregon, and investigators believe there could be more potential victims, according to a joint press release by multiple law enforcement agencies in the state.
Sergeant. Danny DiPietro of the Washington County Sheriff's Office told the NBC affiliate KGW News that Arredondo had allegedly targeted single mothers who were looking for romantic relationships on social media apps like Facebook and had disclosed that they had daughters.
“These women were probably trying to be open, have a dating life, and be like, ‘Hey, I have kids, if that's not okay with you, we're not a good match,'” DiPietro told KGW.
According to investigators, after some time of being in relationships, Arredondo was invited to the victims' homes, where he ended up sexually abusing either the mother or daughter, or both, the press release said.
Washington County Sheriff's Office
A grand jury indicted Arredondo on August 2 in connection with a case in Tigard, Oregon. Another indictment followed on August 14 related to another case in the same county. In investigating those cases, authorities said they learned of two other cases in which Arredondo was under investigation for similar allegations: one in Portland and another in Dallas, Oregon.
According to authorities, Arredondo has lived in Oregon for several years and was required to register as a sex offender in Texas based on a previous conviction. Public records show that he was convicted of indecent assault with a child in Texas in 2009. His name does not appear on Oregon's online sex offender registry, which only lists Level 3 offenders, considered the highest risk category.
Authorities released a photo of Arredondo to help identify potential victims. Anyone with pertinent information can contact their local law enforcement agency or the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Accordingly FoxNews, Arredondo has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. His next court date is scheduled for Tuesday.
Do you need help? Visit RAINN's National Online Sexual Assault Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.
