RIVERSIDE: Hair salon employee arrested, accused of lewd acts with a minor

May 13, 2017 Trevor Montgomery

RIVERSIDE – A hair salon employee was arrested Friday, May 5, the day after he allegedly sexually assaulted a minor at the salon where he worked. The incident, which was reported Thursday, May 4, allegedly happened at a business in the 10300 block of Arlington Avenue in Riverside.

Esteban Melchor was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd acts with a child and oral copulation on a person under age 16. Riverside PD photo

After an investigation, officers arrested Esteban Garcia Melchor, 49, of Riverside, Riverside Police Officer Ryan McHugh explained in a written press release after the incident and arrest.

Melchor was later booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and oral copulation with a child under 16-years-old.

Members from the Riverside Police Department’s West Neighborhood Policing Center began investigating the alleged incident the day after the victim said the assault took place at the Arlington Avenue business.

During their investigation, officers identified Melchor as the person who allegedly assaulted the juvenile. Officers located and detained Melchor for further investigation, Friday, May 5. He was arrested just after 2 p.m.

Officials have not released the name or exact age of the victim; however, the charges against Melchor indicate the victim was younger than 16-years-old.

According to an online jail records search, Melchor was released May 8, after he posted $50,000 bail. His next scheduled court date has been set for July 3, at the Riverside Hall Of Justice.

The investigation is active and ongoing.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Officer Ryan McHugh
at (951) 353-7957 or by e-mail, or Officer Gioconda Hychko at (951)
353-7951 or by e-mail.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.