A man police say is the shaman of a religious cult in Riverside County has been arrested for sexually abusing several children, a statement said.
Ricardo Isaac Flores, 59, of Rialto was arrested and charged with suspicion of rape, aggravated sexual abuse of a child, lewd acts upon a minor and other sex crimes involving children, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began when “multiple victims” showed up at the Moreno Valley police station and reported they had been “attacked by the same individual at a residence in the 26,000 block of Sandi Lane,” the statement said.
Investigators were able to determine that the attacks were not limited to this property, but occurred in various locations in Riverside County, as the suspect is “a religious leader of a shamanic community in various locations throughout the county,” they said.
It is not clear how many victims have come forward, but officials believe there may be more victims because of Flores’ status and his access to victims.
They did not disclose which religious sect Flores belonged to.
He was arrested on Wednesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was taken into custody as he was returning from a trip to Mexico, sources said.