Santa Rosa man arrested on child molestation charges

A Santa Rosa man was in custody Wednesday on $1 million bail, suspected of sexually molesting two acquaintances over a period of years, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

Detectives arrested Daves Mendez Rodriguez, 38, about 8 a.m. Wednesday as he left his home.

Detectives began investigating last week after getting information Rodriguez had assaulted a girl younger than 12 and one who now is an adult, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Terry Anderson said in a news release.

Detectives suspect Rodriguez molested one girl multiple times from 2016 until recently and the other from 2009 to 2011, said Anderson, who supervises sexual crime and domestic violence investigations.

Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of seven felony crimes: sexually assaulting a child under 14, two counts of rape by force or fear, and four counts of sex acts with a child under 10.

-Randi Rossmann