Yuma man indicted in child sex abuse case, police say

Yuma police said a grand jury indicted Jesus Plantillas in a child sex abuse case that investigators say spans several years and multiple alleged victims. The 38-year-old was booked into the Yuma County Detention Center and is being held on $250,000 bond after police and U.S. Border Patrol located him near Fifth Avenue and First Street at about 11 p.m. Saturday, May 16.

The Yuma Police Department said it received information Friday, May 15, about a sex offense involving Plantillas and a 14-year-old girl. As detectives dug deeper, they said they learned of two earlier allegations involving Plantillas, one from 2015 involving a victim who was 3 years old at the time and another from 2022 involving a 15-year-old victim. The newer and older allegations together suggest investigators were looking at more than a single incident.

The indictment includes one count of molestation of a child, four counts of sexual abuse and five counts of sexual conduct with a minor. The filing moves the case into Yuma County Superior Court, where criminal cases are handled and where the legal process will now determine how the charges are tested in court. An indictment is not a conviction, but it does mean prosecutors have secured formal charges to advance the case.

Police said anyone with additional information should contact YPD or report anonymously through 78-CRIME. Families who want to follow the court case can use Arizona Judicial Branch eAccess, which provides 24/7 public access to many Superior Court records for cases filed on or after July 1, 2010. In Yuma County, where child-protection cases have drawn repeated attention this year, the court system now becomes a central place for the next phase of accountability and public oversight.