Man pleads guilty to exposure

A man pleaded guilty Tuesday to exposing his penis to five teenage girls, including some in Fountain Valley, as they walked to school.

John Rodriguez, 20, of Santa Ana had previously pleaded not guilty, but he changed his plea Tuesday, according to Orange County district attorney spokeswoman Farrah Emami.

He pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts of child annoyance, one misdemeanor count of indecent exposure and one misdemeanor count of false imprisonment. He was sentenced to one year in jail, five years of formal probation and lifetime sex offender registration.

Rodriguez approached a 15-year-old girl to ask for directions while she was walking to Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley on Jan. 25. When she stopped to give him directions, he exposed himself, then grabbed her wrist from the passenger side’s window and tried to pull her inside his car, according to prosecutors.

The girl escaped and reported the incident to the Fountain Valley Police Department. Rodriguez also exposed himself Feb. 18 to two sisters, ages 14 and 17, who were walking to the same school.

—Michael Miller

Twitter: @MichaelMillerHB