A 24-year-old Pacifica man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting four girls, according to a press release by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
The man, Gabriel Vandam-Ballard, is reported to have met his victims on social media, luring them with tobacco and drugs in exchange for sexual acts. The incidents reportedly took place between Jan. 1 and Feb. 5.
The most recent incident that led to his arrest took place around 1:50 a.m. on Feb. 5. That morning, Sheriff’s deputies were patrolling the area around Gray Whale Cove in Montara. They found Vandam-Ballard’s car broken down near the La Costanera restaurant.
According to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s office, deputies searched Vandam-Ballard’s car and found him and a 15-year-old girl in the passenger seat. Deputies reported finding alprazolam pills, a scale, condoms, cocaine and other drugs. The two apparently met on the social media app Snapchat.
The girl reported to the deputies that she had just been sexually assaulted by Vandam-Ballard. He was arrested and transported to the Maguire Correctional Facility.
He remains in custody on $450,000 bail on felony charges for selling a controlled substance to a minor, oral copulation with a minor and arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes.
At Vandam-Ballard’s first hearing in criminal court on Feb. 8, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. The next court date is Feb. 23.
District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said the investigation is ongoing.
Post a comment as
Report
Watch this discussion.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.