Possible fifth victim comes forward in exposure case

A fifth potential victim has come forward in the case of a man who allegedly exposed himself to an adult and four minors while they were on their way to schools in Fountain Valley and Santa Ana.

John Rodriguez, 20, of Santa Ana is charged with one felony count of attempted sexual battery, five misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and four misdemeanor counts of child annoyance, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

A 16-year-old girl who was walking to school in Santa Ana on Aug. 11 said Rodriguez drove alongside her in his car and asked if she wanted a ride. The girl refused, and Rodriguez allegedly pulled out his penis and stroked it.

The girl ran away and later reported the incident to the Santa Ana Unified School District Police Department. When the district attorney’s office sent out a media release Aug. 22 regarding the first four alleged victims in the case, the girl reported to school police that Rodriguez was the man who approached her.

Rodriguez faces a maximum sentence of five years and six months in custody and will be ordered to register as a sex offender if convicted. He is being held on $200,000 bail and pleaded not guilty Friday at the West Justice Center in Westminster.

His pretrial is set for Sept. 23, with a preliminary hearing Oct. 14.

Rodriguez also allegedly 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 allegedly exposed himself, then grabbed her wrist from the passenger side’s window to pull her inside his car, according to prosecutors.

The girl escaped and reported the incident to the Fountain Valley Police Department. Rodriguez is also accused of exposing himself Feb. 18 to two sisters, a 14- and 17-year-old, who were walking to the same school.

If Rodriguez is convicted, his mandatory sex offender registration will prohibit him from entering county, Westminster and Irvine parks without police permission, according to the district attorney’s office.

michael.miller@latimes.com

Twitter: @MichaelMillerHB