Written with information from a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Press Release.
Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have launched a manhunt for a local wrestling coach accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy.
Baldwin Park resident Herbert Daniel Ortiz, a.k.a. Herbert Ortiz Monroy, has worked at the Bad News Panthers Children Wrestling Club in Rosemead since 2010. Ortiz, 29, also served as an assistant wrestling coach at Rosemead High School from 2007-2009.
The investigation began with a YouTube video in which a man alleged Ortiz had sexually abused him and warned parents to keep their children away from the coach.
Someone brought the video to the attention of the 14-year-old accuser's mother. Upon seeing the video, the mother asked her son, who had befriended Ortiz at Rosemead High school, whether the coach had ever abused him. The accuser told his mother that Ortiz had indeed sexually assaulted him.
The crimes reportedly occurred in the Rosemead, El Monte and Baldwin Park, but detectives say Ortiz may have victims in surrounding areas of the San Gabriel Valley.
When detectives attempted to contact Ortiz, who they say knew about the YouTube video, he had vanished. Detectives have turned to the public for help in locating Ortiz, described as a Hispanic male, 5-feet-8 and 160 pounds.
If you see Ortiz, call 9-1-1 as soon as possible.
Parents, possible victims or witnesses are asked to contact Special Victims Bureau detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at 1 (877) 710-LASD (5273), or via e-mail at specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org.
If you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA, plus your tip, to CRIMES (274637). You can also submit your tip through the Crime Stoppers Web site at http://lacrimestoppers.org
Does this story surprise you? How should parents keep their children safe from potential predators in the school system?
