Jury Convicts Man Who Arranged to Meet a 15-Year-Old Girl for Sex in Sheriff's Online Child Predator Operation
Author: District Attorney
Date: 10/14/2026 5:08 PM
District Attorney Dan Dow announces the conviction of Genaro SantanaAvalos (42) for contacting a person he believed was a 15-year-old girl online and traveling to a San Luis Obispo park to meet her for sex.
District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that a San Luis Obispo County jury has convicted Genaro SantanaAvalos (DOB 07/23/1984) of all four criminal offenses charged. The charges were contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense (felony), arranging and going to a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes (felony), possession of methamphetamine (misdemeanor), and possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor). The jury began deliberating on the afternoon of October 13 and returned its verdicts at 4:01 p.m. today. Sentencing is scheduled for November 19, 2026.
"Every child deserves to grow up safe from adults who would exploit them, and that includes online predators," said District Attorney Dan Dow. "This defendant was told he was talking with a 15-year-old girl. He hesitated, and then he drove to meet her anyway. Because Sheriff's detectives were the ones on the other end of that conversation, no child was harmed this time. But real children in our community are targeted this way every day, and too often the harm is done before anyone knows. This verdict is about protecting them."
"I am grateful to the jurors for their service. They set aside their own lives and responsibilities, listened carefully to difficult evidence, and did the important work our criminal and victim justice system asks of ordinary citizens. I also thank the Sheriff's detectives whose proactive work stopped this defendant before he could reach a real child. Anyone who goes online looking to sexually exploit a child in San Luis Obispo County should understand that our office will hold them accountable. To parents and caregivers: talk with your children about who they communicate with online, and if you suspect a child is being exploited, report it right away. Children who come forward will be believed, supported, and protected."
Following a seven-day jury trial, the jury found SantanaAvalos guilty of: contact with a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense, a felony; arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes and going to the meeting place, a felony; possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, a misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. All four offenses occurred on December 12, 2024.
The evidence at trial showed that in December 2024, detectives with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau took part in a multi-agency operation targeting adults who use the internet to seek out minors for sex. On December 12, 2024, a Sheriff's detective had electronic communication with the defendant on a dating and "hook up" website. That evening, SantanaAvalos used the name "Alex" and provided his phone number.
In the text conversation that followed, SantanaAvalos, then 40 years old, asked the Sheriff’s decoy to "hook up" and proposed getting a hotel room. After he sent two sexually explicit photographs of himself, the decoy told him she was not 18 and then told him she was 15 years old. SantanaAvalos replied, "If ur gonna cost me trouble maybe I shouldn't go," but continued the conversation. He asked when the decoy's mother would return home from work, said the meeting would be "only going to be for a little while," offered to drop her back at home by 5:00 a.m., and told her he would head out to meet her. The decoy said she lived near a local park in San Luis Obispo, and SantanaAvalos drove from Paso Robles, sending updates on his arrival time and telling her to look for a blue car.
At approximately 9:47 p.m., SantanaAvalos drove a blue car into the arranged meeting location’s parking lot, where detectives stopped and arrested him. Detectives found a condom, methamphetamine, and a methamphetamine pipe on his person. In an interview with detectives, SantanaAvalos first denied talking with a 15-year-old, then claimed someone else had used his phone, and then claimed he had been dropping off a friend at the park; detectives had watched him drive into the lot alone. A forensic examination of his phone confirmed the messages with the decoy, saved directions from Paso Robles to the San Luis Obispo park, and the photographs he sent. Laboratory testing confirmed the substance was methamphetamine.
SantanaAvalos waived his right to a jury trial on the alleged factors in aggravation, which will be decided by the court. He remains out of custody on bail pending sentencing.
SantanaAvalos faces a maximum sentence of 5 years and 6 months in state prison. Because he was convicted of specified sexual offenses he will be required to register as a sex offender under Penal Code section 290. Sentencing is scheduled for November 19, 2026, in Department 6 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, the Honorable Michael S. Frye presiding.
This case was investigated by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau, with Detective Kara Dickel as the lead investigator, assisted by Detectives Justin Francis and James Silverstein and Deputies Gower Slane and Kyle Reinhardt. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Sarah Merson of the District Attorney's Sexual Assault Unit. Because the person the defendant believed was a child was an undercover detective, there was no assigned victim advocate in this case. Witness coordination services were provided by Witness Coordinator Kellie Navarro.
Children who have been contacted or exploited online are never to blame, and help is available. Parents, caregivers, and young people who suspect a child is being sexually exploited online can report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org or 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678), or contact local law enforcement. In an emergency, call 911. Child victims and their families can receive free, confidential support, including help through the court process, from the District Attorney's Victim Witness Assistance Center at (805) 781-5821.
Here is a copy of the charging document. Here is a copy of the defendant's booking photo.Members of the media may contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at 805-781-5819 for additional information.
