According to Victor Valley News, a 42-year-old Victorville man is being held without bail after deputies arrested him on suspicion of sexually assaulting a juvenile he met while working at a local ranch, and investigators now say they believe other young victims may exist across San Bernardino County. Sergio Hernandez Jr. was booked into West Valley Detention Center on Friday, October 30, following an investigation that began earlier in the month.
According to VVNG, deputies from the Hesperia Sheriff’s Station responded on Tuesday, October 20, to a call involving a female juvenile victim. As reported by Victor Valley News, investigators said the victim had sexual intercourse numerous times with Hernandez.
Investigators Say Ranch Job Led to Contact With Victim
The department’s account, as relayed by the outlet, states that Hernandez worked at numerous local ranches within San Bernardino County, and that one of those ranches is where he met the victim. Investigators determined that Hernandez worked at the ranch and knew the victim was a juvenile, the report said.
Officials said they believe Hernandez may have been sexually active with other juveniles throughout San Bernardino County, though that remains an investigative belief rather than a confirmed finding. Investigators are releasing Hernandez’s photo and have urged potential victims, along with anyone possessing information about the case, to contact the Hesperia Sheriff’s Station.
Charges Filed and Custody Status
As noted by Victor Valley News, Hernandez was booked on suspicion of three separate offenses: PC 261.5(C), unlawful intercourse with a minor more than three years younger; PC 289(H), sexual penetration with a victim under 18; and PC 287(B)(1), oral copulation with a person under 18. He remains held without bail at West Valley Detention Center.
The case echoes a separate investigation out of Hesperia earlier this year. Per a report from Victor Valley News, in May, a 30-year-old Hesperia truck driver, Adair Fernando Garcia-Sanchez, was arrested after detectives served a search warrant on April 23 at a residence on the 14300 block of Pinewood Drive. Investigators in that case said a juvenile, who was living in Nebraska at the time, had been victimized by Garcia-Sanchez in Hesperia back in 2024, and detectives said they believed there may be more victims given his work as a long-distance truck driver and additional evidence uncovered during the probe. Garcia-Sanchez was booked for PC 288.6, lewd or lascivious acts with a child.
How to Report Information
Anyone with information in the Hernandez case can reach the Hesperia Sheriff’s Station directly. People who wish to remain anonymous may call or text REPORT to We-Tip at 844-909-3006, and online reporting is also available through the department’s reporting portal.
