Man Accused Of Lewd Acts Near Murrieta Valley HS Scheduled For Arraignment

A Lake Elsinore man accused of engaging in lewd acts in clear view of female students outside Murrieta Valley High School is slated to be arraigned today on misdemeanor charges.

Jaime Delgado Araujo, 53, was arrested Sept. 18 after Murrieta police officers allegedly caught him exposing himself.

Araujo, who is free on $2,500 bail, is charged with two counts each of indecent exposure and annoying a child under 18. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail and the possibility of having to register as a sex offender.

Undercover officers began conducting surveillance around Murrieta Valley High in response to complaints that a man was parking near the campus and masturbating while staring at girls walking by his vehicle, according to Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad.

He said two girls, one 15 and the other 16, reported encounters on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12 -- the first at Washington Avenue and Vineyard Parkway, and the second at Washington and Nighthawk Way.

The youths described the same suspect: Hispanic, in his early 40s to early 50s, short and stocky with dark cropped hair.

About 7 a.m. on Sept. 18, investigators spotted a man matching the suspect's description and observed him "commit a lewd act" in his car, leading to his arrest moments later, Conrad said.

"Araujo was identified by one of the previous victims," the lieutenant said. "Araujo admitted to detectives that he was responsible for the two previous indecent exposure incidents."

The defendant was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta but posted bond a short time later and was released.

Because he's charged with misdemeanors, Araujo does not have to personally appear for his arraignment; his plea can be entered by his attorney. --City News Service