The girl ran away and later reported the incident to the Santa Ana Unified School District Police Department. When the district attorney's office sent out a media release Aug. 22 regarding the first four alleged victims in the case, the girl reported to school police that Rodriguez was the man who approached her.
Rodriguez faces a maximum sentence of five years and six months in custody and will be ordered to register as a sex offender if convicted. He is being held on $200,000 bail and pleaded not guilty Friday at the West Justice Center in Westminster.
His pretrial is set for Sept. 23, with a preliminary hearing Oct. 14.
Rodriguez also allegedly approached a 15-year-old girl to ask for directions while she was walking to Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley on Jan. 25. When she stopped to give him directions, he allegedly exposed himself, then grabbed her wrist from the passenger side's window to pull her inside his car, according to prosecutors.
The girl escaped and reported the incident to the Fountain Valley Police Department. Rodriguez is also accused of exposing himself Feb. 18 to two sisters, a 14- and 17-year-old, who were walking to the same school.
If Rodriguez is convicted, his mandatory sex offender registration will prohibit him from entering county, Westminster and Irvine parks without police permission, according to the district attorney's office.
michael.miller@latimes.com
Twitter: @MichaelMillerHB
