Authorities seek other victims of babysitting man arrested for alleged child molestation

A man with ties to Huntington Beach, Long Beach, and Fullerton is accused of grooming women to babysit children as young as four years old and then bringing the children to hotels so he could molest them.

Jason Valentine Esparza, 57 faces various child molestation charges for crimes he allegedly committed over decades, and if found guilty, he could face a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison.

The Huntington Beach Police Department began investigating Esparza after receiving an anonymous cyber-tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children program in September 2022.

During the eight-month investigation, HBPD detectives began communicating with Esparza while posing as an adult female who was babysitting a four-year-old girl.  During those communications, Esparza is accused of expressing his desire to perform very specific sexual acts on the child.

Esparza was told that the child was at a Huntington Beach hotel room and he was arrested by undercover detectives on April 7, when he entered the room.

"Someone who preys on the innocence of children for their own sexual gratification is a monster of indescribable evil," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "To plot, to calculate, and methodically carry out sexual attacks on unconscious children is something that can only be dreamt of and carried out by the sickest of minds. Children rely on adults for their safety and security and as prosecutors, we do everything we can to protect our children from adults who would harm them and ensure these monsters will never be able to harm another child again."

Esparza, originally from Warren, Ohio, also has connections to Huntington Beach, Long Beach, and Fullerton.  Anyone with information relating to Esparza is asked to call the Huntington Beach Police Department WeTip Hotline (714) 375-5066. For anonymous tips, call OC Crime Stoppers (855) TIP-OCCS (1-855-847-6227).