Sacramento-area church employee in jail suspected of underage sexual assault charges
A Sacramento-area church employee suspected of sexually assaulting a minor is in jail on numerous counts connected to the alleged attacks following his arrest Tuesday by sheriff’s investigators.
Edwin Valdez, 28, is being held at Sacramento County Main Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said. Valdez’s alleged female victim had accused him of assaulting her multiple times when she was a minor.
The Sheriff’s Office said detectives are concerned about possible other unreported cases, saying the church official may have had access to other minors through his position at his church, as well as in different roles outside of the church.
“This is an active and ongoing criminal investigation,” deputies said Tuesday.
Valdez faces allegations include two counts of penetration with a foreign object on a person younger than 18 years; four counts of oral copulation with a person younger than 18; two counts of communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a sex offense; and two counts of contacting a minor with the intent to commit other sex offenses, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
His first arraignment in Sacramento Superior Court is set for Thursday.
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 12:26 PM.
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