A Claremont McKenna College (CMC) third-year student was arrested on Aug. 31 on alleged child sex crimes. According to the Fontana Herald News and the Fontana Police Department’s press release, David Almaraz-Roman of Santa Fe Springs was arrested on charges of possessing “thousands of pornographic images and videos on his electronic device, many of which allegedly depicted children under 18 years old in child sexual abuse situations.” The article additionally states that “[w]hile Almaraz-Roman and the victim were together, Almaraz-Roman allegedly sexually assaulted the victim, police said.”
According to the article, “[t]he case began when detectives from the Fontana P.D.’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a report that David Almaraz-Roman, a resident of Santa Fe Springs, had met an underage male victim on the social media application Grindr. Almaraz-Roman drove to the City of Fontana to meet the victim. While Almaraz-Roman and the victim were together, Almaraz-Roman allegedly sexually assaulted the victim, police said.”
Grindr’s website states that “NO PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS (OR TWENTY-ONE (21) YEARS IN PLACES WHERE EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS IS NOT THE AGE OF MAJORITY) MAY DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY VIEW, POSSESS OR OTHERWISE USE THE GRINDR SERVICES.” (emphasis original)
Per the Herald’s report, “[t]he suspect was arrested on a charge of possession of child pornography as well as crimes which allegedly occurred in Fontana, including sex with a foreign object with a victim under age 18, contact with a minor with intent to engage in sex, sodomy with a person under 18, and oral copulation with a person under 18, police said. He was booked at West Valley Detention Center.”
According to Almaraz-Roman’s LinkedIn page, he currently holds positions at both CMC’s Rose Institute of State and Local Government and Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies. The page also states that he was formerly Chief Operating Officer at Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College (ASCMC), the College’s student government. His LinkedIn page also states that Almaraz-Roman has received Teal Dot Bystander Engagement training. The Teal Dot Facebook page states that “Teal Dot trainings are designed to reduce sexual violence, dating/domestic violence, and stalking on our campuses by equipping students to recognize potentially dangerous situations and safely intervene to prevent violence.”
CMC Advocates, a student group dedicated to the advocacy of sexual assault survivors, sent out an email this evening stating that “[w]e recognize that recent news may be triggering for some individuals on our campus. As Advocates, we wanted to send a reminder of our resources as well as other available resources for survivors, both on and off campus.”
The Independent has reached out to CMC and CMC has not released a statement on the matter at the time of publication.
Photo credits to Fontana Police Department via the Fontana Herald News.
The article has been updated to reflect Almaraz-Roman’s involvement in ASCMC.
Correction: The article previously stated that Almaraz-Roman was from Santa Fe; he is from Santa Fe Springs.
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