Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
A former San Luis Obispo resident is set to be charged with 22 felony counts of sexual abuse, according to a city news release sent on Wednesday.
Pablo Reyna-Esparza, 78, was arrested at the Mexico-California border on May 8 for outstanding criminal warrants, according to the news release.
Reyna-Esparza was initially investigated by the San Luis Obispo Police Department in May 2018 for the alleged abuse occurring in his household on Coral Street. A female juvenile identified Reyna-Esparza as the person who abused her in 2016, according to the release.
At the time of the incident, an unlicensed daycare was being run out of Reyna-Esparza’s residence by another family member.
Two additional female victims, aged five and 10 at the time of the incident, reported Reyna-Esparza for sexual abuse in March 2022. These incidents of abuse also reportedly occurred in 2016.
San Luis Obispo Police “requested criminal filings of the sexual abuse charges” and issued a warrant for his arrest shortly after, according to the release.
Reyna-Esparza is currently held at the San Luis Obispo County Jail ahead of court proceedings with a bail set at $12.6 million.
SLOPD is asking anyone with additional information to contact Detective Caleb McCornack at 805-783-7757.