Park Rangers help arrest man for allegedly taking pictures of a minor in a restroom

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man was arrested Monday at Yokuts Park for allegedly molesting a child, according to Bakersfield police. The arrest was made possible thanks to dedicated Park Rangers at Beach Park.

“Just around where that black SUV is at is where we were parked when we were approached by the juvenile,” said Park Ranger Fernando Hurtado.

Man arrested, allegedly found with child sex abuse material: BPD

An 11-year-old told Park Ranger Hurtado a man was taking pictures of kids in the restroom.

“That’s when we started to approach the bathroom. The guy that was involved and the suspect that was involved started to walk out,” said Hurtado. “The juvenile pointed to the suspect, said ‘that’s him’ and the suspect started walking to his car that was near the street light. When we attempted to approach the suspect, that’s when he got into his vehicle and started driving away.”

That’s when Park Ranger David Lara quickly stepped in.

“The best information we were able to get was the license plate,” said Park Ranger Lara. “I happened to actually see him going to Yokuts Park.”

Next to be radioed, was Park Ranger Bernardo Fernandez, who did his part at Yokuts Park.

“We were trying to make small talk with him, and he wouldn’t engage, so we just kept an eye on him,” said Park Ranger Fernandez. “Got as much descriptive information as we could from him, or about him, and as soon as he started to leave, I put it out in the radio.”

Never miss a story: Make KGET.com your homepage

With all the information from Park Rangers, police were able to successfully arrest 37-year-old Andres Eubanks. He was booked into the Lerdo Jail on allegations of annoying or molesting a child under 18, lewd conduct in public and driving on a suspended license.

A rewarding work day on the job for the three Park Rangers.

“I love it, I feel like that’s the best part of this job,” said Park Ranger Fernandez. “I have a great team and we’re all in the same similar mindset. We’re here to make the parks safer.”

If you have any information on this case call the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.