Santa Ana police arrest alleged child predator after sting targeting 16-year-old
Santa Ana officers captured 45-year-old Ernesto Orozco Villa, accused of soliciting sexual images from a 16-year-old, in a sting operation following a mother’s report.
The Santa Ana Police Department initiated an undercover operation after a mother reported disturbing messages from a man identified as Ernesto Orozco Villa, 45, of Westminster. Dubbed “Ernie the Uber,” Villa allegedly sought explicit photographs from her 16-year-old son and attempted to set up a physical meeting. Officers, assisted by a drone unit, arranged a rendezvous in Orange County and waited for Villa to arrive.
Just before 1 a.m. on Wednesday, he was found sitting in his vehicle near the intersection of Bristol Street and McFadden Avenue, where police apprehended him. Villa was handcuffed, read his rights in Spanish, and taken to the Santa Ana Jail for booking. The department warned parents to monitor online communications and be aware of strangers contacting their children.
Why it matters
The arrest highlights the risks of online grooming and the need for parental vigilance and law-enforcement intervention.
In this story
