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Man arrested in series of sexual assaults in San Jacinto

Luis Perales is seen in a photo released by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department on Sept. 10, 2021.

A Hemet man who was wanted in a series of sexual assaults on women who were out for morning walks has been arrested, Riverside County Sheriffs Department officials said Friday.

Luis Perales, 23, was identified as the suspect in the crimes and was arrested at his place of employment.


He allegedly is responsible for a series of sexual assaults dating back to March. In each of the incidents, the victim was walking on a path that travels east and west on Esplanade Avenue between Villines and Arroyo Viejo, police said.

The assailant sexually assaulted the victims while they were on their morning walks. After each of the assaults, the man would run into a neighborhood south of Esplanade Avenue, police said.

Images of the suspect were released on Sept. 2 amid the ongoing investigation.

Perales was booked on suspicion of several counts of sexual assault.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department officials on Sept. 2, 2021 released these images of a man wanted in a series of sex assaults in San Jacinto.