SANTA CRUZ — A 35-year-old Watsonville man who law enforcement said used social media to expose young teens to drugs and sex, pleaded not guilty to charges Monday.
Luis Alberto Salas remained held without bail this week after the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, the lead investigating agency in a cross-county collaboration, sought the county jail hold last month to potentially allow additional victims to come forward, according to court filings. As of Monday’s third amended complaint, Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Jason Gill had identified seven unidentified “Jane Doe” victims in his criminal filings.
In an early Sept. 4 filing, Gill listed separate related criminal investigations into Salas involving the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Scotts Valley, as well as unincorporated Santa Cruz County. Gill wrote that Salas allegedly “poses too great a danger to the public if released.”
In the filing, the assistant district attorney stated, “Defendant is placing the children of Santa Cruz County at extreme risk of death because he is supplying drugs and alcohol to minors and he is also exposing children to sexual assault crimes despite the fact he is currently pending a child molest case.” Furthermore, Gill outlined, “We also consider him a flight risk because he has no significant community ties, the charges in this case carry significant consequences, and simply put — we don’t trust this defendant to show up on his good word.”
