Adam Escarcega, a teaching assistant at Adams Elementary School, was arrested this week on felony charges of soliciting lewd acts with a minor.
He was taken into custody following tips from a Southern California citizen group that “decoys, confronts, and exposes online child predators,” said the organization’s leader, who goes by the alias “Ghost”, in an interview. “Our most recent exposure took place in Goleta on Monday.”
Escarcega, 34, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, said Santa Barbara Unified School District spokesperson Sandra Trujillo.
“We are still learning all the facts regarding this delicate situation and assure parents, students, and staff that we are cooperating fully with law enforcement as they investigate these serious allegations,” Trujillo said.
Escarcega is also employed by the Santa Barbara Airport as a ramp supervisor, and by the Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) theater department as a stage manager. SBCC spokesperson Jordan Killebrew said Escarcega had been hired for individual productions and is not scheduled for future work.
Previously, Escarcega held positions in early childhood education at Santa Barbara area preschools. He has no prior criminal record.
He is being held on $75,000 bail and remains in custody, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick. She explained detectives had received a report from the citizen group that Escarcega planned on engaging in sexual acts with a juvenile and ― after reviewing the materials and conducting their own investigation ― took him into custody in a Hollister Avenue parking lot.
“Ghost” said his San Diego-based organization ― CC Unit, or Creep Catchers Unit ― had posed as a 15-year-old on an online dating site when they were contacted by Escarcega. After messaging back and forth for just a few days, Escarcega suggested they get together. He kept pushing the idea.
“He really wanted to meet,” said “Ghost,” who shared screenshots of the conversation that he also provided to Sheriff’s detectives. Since 2018, he claimed, CC Unit and its dozen employees have exposed more than 400 alleged predators ― Escarcega was number 459, he said ― with its sting operations leading to “hundreds” of arrests and convictions.
Most of CC Unit’s work takes place in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. This was their first trip to Santa Barbara. Their confrontations are filmed on GoPro cameras and posted to their YouTube and Instagram channels, where they have close to 150,000 followers.
Similar to the tactics used in NBC’s To Catch a Predator series, the group creates fake online profiles through social media platforms and meetup apps, then waits for potential offenders to make contact. Once the conversation begins, the decoy reveals their alleged age, “usually posing as minors around 13 to 15 years old, sometimes as young as nine,” “Ghost” said.
Their confrontation of Escarcega and his subsequent arrest were captured on a YouTube livestream. In the footage, Escarcega confesses in explicit detail his intent to have sex with a person he believed was a minor, then signs a letter of apology.
“It is devastating to learn that an employee trusted with students would have an intent to cause any type of harm either in or outside the classroom,” said Kelly Fresch, principal of Adams Elementary School, in an email to parents. “Our schools must be safe learning spaces for our children. The law requires all employees to not only conduct themselves in a professional manner but also report any potential concerns immediately to a supervisor or administrator.”
“If you ever have a concern,” Fresch continued, “please report it right away through an administrator so the claim can be thoroughly and swiftly investigated, if necessary. We want to reiterate our firm condemnation of all cases of misconduct toward students.”
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