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Camp Counselor At Mission Viejo Church Accused Of Sexually Assaulting 8-Year-Old

IRVINE (CBSLA) — A man working part-time as a camp counselor at Mission Viejo Christian Church has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child he was caring for.

Nicolas David Cruz, 19, was arrested at the church, 27192 Jeronimo Rd. He is currently being held on $100,000 bail and has since been terminated by the church, according to Irvine Police.

The mother of an 8-year-old had reported to the Orange County Sheriff's Department Tuesday that Cruz sexually assaulted her child during the bus ride home from a summer camp outing in Irvine. Irvine police, who took over the investigation and arrested Cruz on Wednesday, now say there are two children who tell detectives they were molested.

Investigators believe there may be more victims in the case because Cruz started working at the church in December 2018, and has worked part-time with children between 8 and 9 years old. The year before, he worked with children ages 5 to 11 years old.

Anyone with information about Cruz or believes their child may be a victim can call Detective Mudassar Mahmood at (949) 724-7130 or email mmahmood@cityofirvine.org.

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