September 2, 2021 - Merced – On September 1, 2021, a man came to the Merced Police Department to report unlawful sexual conduct. Officers spoke to the man who was identified as Christopher Robert Garcia (36) of Fresno. Garcia told officers he is a pastor and he used to live in the Merced area.

Garcia wanted to confess about an inappropriate relationship he was having with a minor. Detectives were called in to assist with the investigation. Garcia told detectives the relationship began on a social media site in 2019. Garcia was aware the person he was communicating with was a minor. Garcia met the minor on several occasions and performed various sexual acts with the minor.

Garcia was arrested and booked into the Merced County Jail for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor under 16, lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under 14, sexual penetration upon a minor who is under 14 and oral copulation with a minor.

As always, the Merced Police Department would like to remind parents about the dangers of predators on social media. It is very important to monitor your children’s activity on social media sites and to report any suspicious activity immediately.

Case Number: 21-52863

Merced Police are asking anyone with any information regarding this incident to contact Detective Gorman at 209-388-7715 or by email at gormana@cityofmerced.org.

Other ways to contact us or report crime include:

For any emergency call or text 911

For non-emergency call 209-385-6912

Anonymous Tip Line (Non-emergency) call 209-385-4725

Anonymous Tips online at http://www.mercedareacrimestoppers.org/index.html.

Some crimes can be reported online through the Merced PD website https://www.cityofmerced.org/departments/police.

Source: Merced Police Department