A 29-year-old Redlands man has pleaded guilty to molesting two teenage girls he contacted through social media, picking them up in his car before engaging in sex acts with them, according to police. Peter Michael Mejia was sentenced to five years in prison after entering his pleas at the West Justice Center in Westminster.
Mejia pleaded guilty to one count of a lewd act on a child aged 14 or 15, two counts of using an underage victim for obscene matter, and one count of a lewd or lascivious act with a minor younger than 14, as reported by MyNewsLA.com. The outlet's account describes the charges as felonies, though earlier reporting from the Los Angeles Times on the original case characterized the counts differently, noting that three of the four charges were felonies while the lewd-act count involving the 14-or-15-year-old was initially filed as a misdemeanor.
How the Case Against Mejia Began
The case traces back to February 2025, when Costa Mesa police said they received information on Feb. 13 about a man allegedly involved in sexual relationships with multiple juveniles, according to the Los Angeles Times. Investigators identified Mejia, then 27 and living in Redlands, and arrested him that Monday in Beaumont, in Riverside County.
Police said Mejia had communicated with the two alleged teenage victims via social media before picking them up in his vehicle. According to the same newspaper's reporting, detectives at the time were working to determine whether there were additional victims beyond the two known teenagers tied to the original investigation.
Guilty Plea Brings Case to a Close
Nearly two years after the initial arrest, Mejia's guilty plea closes out the criminal case stemming from the Costa Mesa investigation. The five-year prison sentence follows his admission to all four counts tied to the two teenage victims.
The supplied court reporting does not include additional detail on the date of the plea hearing or sentencing, nor independent court records confirming the proceedings beyond what was relayed in coverage of the case.
