A Watsonville man was arrested Tuesday after he was found in a hotel with a 15-year-old girl who had been reported missing out of Fresno.
Darwin Linares, 24, was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on charges of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
He was not in custody on Thursday, jail records showed.
According to Watsonville Police spokeswoman Erika Vazquez, the department received a report of the missing girl on Tuesday.
Three hours later, WPD detectives, the Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team and the Santa Cruz County Auto Theft Reduction and Enforcement Team, found the 15-year-old girl at a hotel on the 100 block of Airport Boulevard, where she was with Linares.
He was arrested at the scene.
The teen is safe, and the investigation is ongoing, police said.
It was not clear how Linares met the girl, or how she ot to Watsonville. Police on Thursday were still investigating that part of the case.
Investigators to not believe there were any other victims, Vasquez said.
