A San Luis Obispo county jury has convicted 42-year-old Genaro Santana-Avalos for contacting a person he believed was a minor, and traveling to a San Luis Obispo park to meet her for sex.
Jurors found him guilty of contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense, arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Evidence 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. A detective communicated with Santana-Avalos electronically, and when the decoy told him she was 15 years old, he agreed to meet her. Santana-Avalos drove from Paso Robles to the arranged meeting spot, where detectives stopped and arrested him.
He faces a maximum of 5 years and 6 months in prison, and will be required to register as a sex offender.
