Man pleads guilty to molesting two young girls in Oxnard

OXNARD, Calif. -- A man pled guilty to molesting two young girls in Oxnard on Tuesday.

Gregorio Santacruz, 40, of Oxnard pled guilty to three counts of lewd conduct with a child under 14 years old and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14.

Ventura County District Attorney's Office made the announcement of the plea on Thursday evening.

Back in January 2016, a 14-year-old girl disclosed to her middle school teacher that Santacruz had molested her on multiple occasions between the age of 9 and 12 years old.

The victim said that Santacruz had kissed her, repeatedly touched her breasts and on one occasion dragged her into a bedroom before laying on top of her.

After the victim's disclosure, school officials notified the Oxnard Police Department who began interviewing witnesses and searching for additional victims.

In their investigation, detectives identified a second victim who told detectives that Santacruz repeatedly molested her in a similar manner.

In late January 2016, detectives arrested Santacruz and formal charges were filed.

Santacruz' sentencing is scheduled for January 8, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 at the Ventura County Superior Court.

Officials say that Santacruz is expected to be sentenced to 22 years in state prison.

Oxnard Police Department performed the investigations and the District Attorney's Sexual Assault and Family Protection Unit prosecuted the case.