Oakland man charged with soliciting sex with girl through Instagram, sexual battery

OAKLAND — A 20-year-old man has been arrested and charged with sexual battery of a 14-year-old girl after reaching out to her on Instagram, court records show.

Moises Lopez, of Oakland, was charged with contacting a minor to commit a sex crime and sexual battery by restraint, both felonies, through a criminal complaint filed in late July. He pleaded not guilty at a recent court appearance, records show.

The alleged victim told authorities that Lopez reached out to her on Instagram. After they spoke he told her that “he could not wait to kiss (the girl) and to conduct oral copulation on her,” and not to tell anyone about their interactions, an Oakland police investigator said in a court filing. Police say the girl went to Lopez’s house and he forcibly grabbed her buttocks, prompting her to leave and notify authorities.

Lopez was released from jail after his attorney filed a motion describing the alleged crime as a “consensual texting exchange” and adding that they’d previously arranged to meet at a laundromat.

“When he suggests they smoke together, she replies enthusiastically and even tells him to ‘hurry up’ while waiting for him at the laundromat,” the defense attorney, Deputy Public Defender Jennie Otis, wrote in a successful motion for Lopez to be released from jail without bail.

Police say that when they arrested Lopez, he claimed that someone else had logged onto his Instagram to impersonate him, but refused to provide additional details. The girl reportedly identified Lopez from a photo lineup as the person who inappropriately touched her.