Merced County deputies arrest man accused of sexually abusing minor in Merced

A man accused of sexually abusing a minor in Merced was arrested by sheriff’s deputies last week, according to authorities.

Albert Ricardo Alcaraz, 24, was arrested by Merced County Sheriff’s Office deputies at 5:38 p.m. in the 20 block of Jack Court on April 20, according to Deputy Daryl Allen.

Alcarez was booked into Merced County Jail on suspicion of two counts of felony oral copulation with a youth under 16 and preventing or dissuading a victim from reporting, according to jail records.

According to authorities, the alleged incident occurred in the City of Merced on April 1.

Authorities said the youth reported the alleged crime to authorities on April 19. Merced County Sheriff’s Office detectives reviewed messages between the 15-year-old youth and Alcaraz.

The messages revealed the man knew the youth was 15 and had lied about his age.

Deputies said it appears the youth was walking home from school when they met Alcaraz. The suspect gave the youth his phone number, and the two began having phone conversations and exchanged text messages, deputies said.

Alcaraz is accused of offering the youth money in exchange for not reporting the crime to law enforcement, according to a Merced County Sheriff’s Office news release. He remains in custody in lieu of $100,000.

According to Allen, authorities are not aware of any additional victims at this time. Anyone with information regarding the alleged crime is asked to contact the Merced County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Bureau at 209-385-7472.