TEMECULA, CA — Three separate investigations into sex predators who target children online resulted in arrests, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has announced.

The most recent case involved a 44-year-old Sacramento man who drove to Murrieta to have sex with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl but were actually undercover law enforcement officers.

According to the sheriff’s department, deputies with the Southwest Sheriff’s Station Investigations Bureau were working on a month-long investigation into online predators.

The work wrapped up Aug. 30 when Laith Fathi Sikta drove from Northern California to Murrieta to meet the “girl” for sex. He planned to pick up the minor in the middle of the night, the sheriff’s department reported.

Instead, Sikta, who had cannabis with him, was met by deputies, according to the agency.

Sikta was arrested and booked into county jail on suspicion of contacting a minor with the intent to have sex, sending harmful matter through electronic means to a minor, and offering to furnish cannabis to a minor, the department said.

Jail records show Sikta remains behind bars at Southwest Detention Center in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Another man, Andrey Raymundo Tovar Serrato, 31, of La Puente was arrested Aug. 27 in his city of residence following a report of a sexual assault on a minor in Temecula.

That investigation began around 11:55 p.m. Aug 12 when deputies got a call about a juvenile sexual assault victim who was being treated at a local hospital. The victim told deputies she was sexually assaulted in the 40000 block of Winchester Road.

“It was discovered [the] suspect initially contacted the victim through an online platform and later formed a relationship for sexual purposes,” according to the sheriff’s department.

After deputies tracked him down, Serrato was booked into county jail on suspicion of multiple sex crimes and furnishing cannabis to a minor, the department said.

Jail records were unavailable for Serrato.

Finally, on Aug. 7, deputies from the Perris Sheriff’s Station Special Enforcement Team began an online undercover operation in which they posed as a 13-year-old girl.

During that investigation, 63-year-old Yucaipa resident Guy Vincent Schneider allegedly responded.

“Over the next few days, deputies continued to communicate with Schneider, who ultimately said he wanted to meet in order to perform sex acts with the underaged female,” the sheriff’s department said.

On Aug. 30, “the girl” arranged to meet Schneider. He, too, was met by deputies who found him in possession of two firearms, according to the sheriff’s department.

Schneider was arrested and booked into county jail on suspicion of contacting a minor for sex, arranging to meet with a minor with the intent for sexual acts, and attempted lewd acts with a minor.

He was released from custody Sept. 1 on $1 million bail, according to jail records.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department previously released the wrong booking photo for Andrey Raymundo Tovar Serrato. The article was updated to include the correct image.

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