Underage Girl Rescued, Man Arrested After Mountain View Traffic Stop

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — A routine traffic stop in Mountain View earlier this month has led to the arrest of a man accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a young girl, police announced Tuesday.

According to investigators, an officer stopped a silver Ford sedan for various code violations on May 11 and noticed the driver seemed nervous as he approached. The officer saw a young passenger in the car, sensed something was amiss, and asked both to step out of the vehicle.

After a short conversation, the officer said he learned the 19-year-old man was "in a relationship" with the girl, who had yet to reach her teens.

Police detained the suspect, identified Tuesday as Josue Alavez Garcia, 19, of Sunnyvale, and returned to arrest him on a warrant Monday after a review of the case by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

Garcia was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail and faces allegations of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. Police said the girl was safely returned home after the initial traffic stop.