Santa Maria man accused of child molestation arrested by authorities

Santa Maria police detectives arrested 43-year-old Gabriel Peralez Jr. in connection with a child molestation case.

Authorities say detectives began their investigation into a potential crime against a child in late 2017 and gathered enough evidence to arrest the 43-year-old Santa Maria resident for the crime.

Peralez Jr. was arrested and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on Feb. 19 and charged with forcible lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age.

On Feb. 21, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed formal criminal charges against Peralez for:

288(b)(1) PC-Forcible lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age 136.1 PC-Witness intimidation

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Santa Maria Police Department Investigations Bureau at 805-928-3781 ext 1261.