Youth Leader Arrested for Child Molestation | Crime

According to the Salinas police, an 11-year-old female reported a youth leader sexually assaulted her.

The youth leader, 20-year-old Eric Mendoza, had been working with Iglesia Pentecostal Nueva Vida Church for approximately a year.

Mendoza was arrested and booked at the Monterey County Jail on multiple counts of child molestation.

Members of the church didn't want to talk about the accusations, but pastors from nearby churches say police talked to them when the accusations surfaced over the weekend. 

Anyone with information related to the crime or who may have been a witness/victim is encouraged to contact the Salinas Police Department.