A 49-year-old man accused of exposing himself to women aboard a bus in Orange County was taken into custody last month after deputies linked him to two other similar incidents, authorities said Thursday.
Carlos Tirado, a resident of Costa Mesa, allegedly positioned himself next to a 16-year-old girl on a Santa Ana bus on June 19 before exposing himself to the victim and masturbating in front of her, according to an O.C. Sheriff’s Department news release.
Tirado was arrested on June 29 after investigators who reviewed surveillance video recognized him as the same man who was previously arrested on another indecent exposure charge, deputies said.
Earlier this year, in February, Tirado was accused of exposing himself to a 22-year-old woman on another bus in Anaheim, sheriff’s deputies said. He was arrested in March on suspicion of indecent exposure, but was released on bail.
Tirado was awaiting a court date when the recent June incident occurred, the department said.
During an investigation of the June incident, authorities linked Tirado to a third case that occurred late last year aboard another Anaheim bus. Deputies said Tirado revealed his genitals to a 22-year-old woman and proceeded to masturbate while making eye contact with her.
“The victimization of those confronted by the perpetrator is very upsetting and very significant,” said J.D. Hoskins, a sergeant with the Orange County Transportation Authority. “We have seen, in some cases, perpetrators like this get progressively more brazen and, if not stopped, graduate to higher-level sex crimes.”
Carlos Alberto Tirado, 49, of Costa Mesa was arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure and child annoyance. He is in custody and is expected to appear in court Aug. 8. OCSD investigators believe there could be more women who were victimized. Full story
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Tirado is currently being held in the O.C. jail. with his bail set at $25,000. He could face charges of child annoyance and indecent exposure, the news release said.
Tirado is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 8.
The sheriff’s department believes there could be more women who have had similar encounters with Tirado. Investigators urge anyone with more information to contact the department at 714-265-4340 or report anonymously to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227.