Peninsula Man Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault Of 11-Year-Old He Was Babysitting
EL GRANADA (CBS SF) -- A Peninsula man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old child he was babysitting, authorities said Wednesday.
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said detectives began investigating the case on August 2 which involved the child being assaulted on three separate occasions by a family friend.
The suspect was identified as 35-year-old Michael Banister of El Granada. The sheriff's office said the assaults took place near his home while he was babysitting the child.
On Tuesday, a $500,000 warrant was issued for Banister's arrest and he was taken into custody. Banister was charged with three counts of lewd acts with a child under 14 years old as well as possession of a controlled substance.
The sheriff's office said Banister has a lengthy criminal history in Oregon and had moved to the coastal community of El Granada within the past two years.
Anyone with information about the suspect was asked to contact Detective J. Fava at 650-363-4192 or email jfava@smcgov.org.
