CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department made a major arrest of a man who they say is a serial child molester.
In a news conference on Friday, police said 61-year-old Angel Lobo is facing 20 counts of sex crimes.
Police say the victims span at least four states, including three children in Charlotte.
CMPD said a 12-year-old girl came forward last month sparking the investigation, which now spans as far away as New York. Then, police said Lobo himself admitted to more crimes against children.
“He opened up and gave us these other locations in other states and other victims,” said Sgt. Jem Jones of CMPD.
Now, police are trying to identify the other victims in Maryland, Ohio and New York. Meanwhile, CMPD is investigating three different cases in Charlotte.
Investigators said the 12-year-old girl said she was sexually assaulted multiple times in 2014 and 2015 when she was eight years old.
“They were females with young children, that’s alarming, but that’s his MO,” Sgt. Jones said.
Police say the serial child molester would gain trust from families in Hispanic communities through mutual friends. Then he’d be invited into their homes as a caregiver.
“He was kind of a transient guy, so he just kind of come from one place to another, and when he rents the room, he gains their trust, he volunteers to take care of their children and that’s when the assaults occur,” Sgt. Jones said.
Police say the crimes could go back decades. CMPD is asking anyone in the public to come forward if they have additional information.
“We now have a concern that there are other victims out there that have also been touched by Mr. Lobo,” Sgt. Jones said.
Lobo is facing 10 counts of first-degree sex offense and 10 counts of indecent liberties with a child.