The Yuma Police Department has announced the arrest of 26-year-old Ricardo Zavala Esparza who is accused of having sexual conduct with a minor. YPD reports that it received a report of a sex offense involving Esparza and a 13-year-old on August 25, 2024.

YPD says officers learned that Esparza and the minor had met earlier over the summer of this year. During that time, it is alleged that several sexual encounters occurred in Yuma and Yuma County.

On Thursday morning, Esparza was taken into custody. He has been booked into the Yuma County Detention Center on multiple felony offenses.