WATSONVILLE — A Watsonville man was arrested Thursday morning after a 16-year-old girl told police he was sexually abusing her.
Rickey Crawford, 34, has been charged with sodomy of a person under 18, oral copulation of a person under 18, rape, sex with a minor. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, jail records show.
Crawford
Watsonville Police Detectives arrested Crawford as he was leaving Watsonville Thursday morning, said WPD spokeswoman Michelle Pulido.
The case was originally reported to Santa Cruz Police Department, but was later forwarded to WPD because the suspected sexual abuse was occurring in Watsonville, Pulido said.
“We’d like to applaud this brave girl for coming forward and reporting this to police,” she said. “Because of her actions, we were able to arrest this man. We would also like to remind any other victims out there that any form of sexual abuse is unacceptable and WPD will stand with you to bring you the justice you deserve.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Rudy Lopez at 768-3357.
