Fugitive California child sex abuse suspect found working in Illinois restaurant, arrested

By Tim Fang

A fugitive from California’s Central Coast wanted on child sex abuse charges has been arrested in a Chicago suburb after he was found working in a restaurant, authorities said.

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois, deputies along with U.S. Marshals arrested 59-year-old Jorge Martinez-Trejo on March 24. Deputies said Martinez-Trejo fled Monterey County on several felony charges involving sex crimes against minors.

In June 2023, the Salinas Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Martinez-Trejo that carried a $14 million bond.

The sheriff’s office said investigators with the agency’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit recently learned he was working in a restaurant in Glendale Heights; a suburb located about 30 miles west of Chicago. Authorities went to the restaurant and took him into custody without incident.

Martinez-Trejo is being held at the Cook County Jail without bail as he awaits extradition to California. Charges against him include forcible rape of a child, forcible lewd act upon a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Jail records show his next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday.