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El Mirage police arrest MCSO employee accused of luring a minor for sex

Posted 3/11/20

A Maricopa County Sheriff's Office employee is accused of trying to lure an 11-year-old girl for sex in El Mirage.

According to the El Mirage Police Department, detectives arrested Miguel Ramirez …

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El Mirage police arrest MCSO employee accused of luring a minor for sex

Posted

A Maricopa County Sheriff's Office employee is accused of trying to lure an 11-year-old girl for sex in El Mirage.

According to the El Mirage Police Department, detectives arrested Miguel De Jesus Ramirez Diaz, 37, of El Mirage, on charges of luring a minor.

According to court documents, around 3:30 p.m. March 2, a man driving a gray vehicle was following a teen and her brother around the park near 87th Avenue and Butler Drive. The children ran and hid from the driver, and they collected a license plate number that was registered to Mr. Diaz, records state. Peoria police contacted Mr. Diaz, who told them he was just driving around.

Later than day, an 11-year-old's mother called El Mirage police and reported her daughter had been solicited for sex in front of their home in El Mirage. The mother provided information leading police to identify Mr. Diaz as the individual, according to documents. As the mother reported the crime to police, she noticed the vehicle passing her home again.

While police responded to locate the driver, a woman waved down an officer and said someone in a gray vehicle had stopped next to her while she was walking home from a bus stop. She couldn't hear what he was saying but he kept following her, records state. She told police the driver would keep circling back around and stopping next to her as she tried to get away from the vehicle.

While the officer talked with the woman, the same driver passed their location, which the woman said was the same person who was following her.

Police stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver for driving under the influence, records state.

Around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, police again contacted Mr. Diaz and arrested him in connection with the luring incident. He reportedly admitted to drinking during the day on March 2.

Mr. Diaz was booked into jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond. He is due in court March 19 and 23.

Mr. Diaz is an employee with MCSO, according to police and court documents.

El Mirage Police Chief Paul Marzocca will provide information regarding Mr. Diaz and this ongoing investigation Thursday afternoon.

Police are also asking the public to view images of Mr. Diaz and his vehicle, and to report any information regarding the investigation to Detective Jason Vargas at 623-500-3065 or jvargas@elmirageaz.gov.

Police report previous contacts

Police learned Mr. Diaz had been contacted by authorities for similar suspicious activity in 2013 and 2015, records state. He had reportedly been following two girls ages 9 and 11 while they walked from school in El Mirage. The girls' father had approached Mr. Diaz a year before about similar behavior, records state.

In October 2015, a 10-year-old boy had told police there was a man who always watched children at the apartment complex. He said the man had grabbed a 6-year-old girl, then let her go and left. Police learned the man was driving a vehicle that was reportedly registered to Mr. Diaz.

The following month, El Mirage police contacted Mr. Diaz about the two incidents. He reportedly admitted to being at the apartment complex to visit a friend. However, he denied grabbing the girl.