Full Notification

WHAT: Arrest for Intent to commit Sex Offense with a Minor

WHERE: City of San Luis Obispo

WHEN: March 4, 2015

DEPARTMENT CONTACT: Lieutenant John Bledsoe, 781-7353
ARRESTED: Robert George Roe Jr. DOB: 9/28/59 (Transient)

On March 3, 2015 a citizen informant called the San Luis Obispo Police Department to inform us of a disturbing photograph and message found on Craigslist. The picture depicted a self-photograph of a man’s genitalia, with the explicit message soliciting “young girls” for sexual acts. The citizen informant advised the location on Craigslist where this ad could be located.

Police Detectives found the ad and were able to identify the subject who posted it as 55 year old Robert George Roe Jr. They also discovered Roe is a PC 290 registrant (Sex registrant). Roe is required to register as a sex offender for a conviction of Molesting a Child under 18 years of age in the State of Arizona in 1987.

A San Luis Obispo Police Department Detective posing as a 16 year old female later made cell phone contact with Roe. Roe was very sexually graphic in his exchanges with the undercover detective, and he made it clear he wanted to have sex with her. Roe offered the use of his van or to purchase a hotel room where they could meet for sexual acts. The undercover detective agreed to meet with Roe at a local hotel on March 4, 2015.

On March 4, 2015 shortly after 2:00 PM SLOPD Detectives found Roe at the agreed upon hotel in the City of San Luis Obispo. This is where Roe had rented a room to have sex with who he believed was a 16 year old female. Roe was nude inside the hotel room at the time of his arrest. A search warrant was obtained for Roe’s hotel room where numerous items of evidence related to this crime were located. Roe’s van was found in a motel parking lot in the 300 block of Stimson, in the City of Pismo Beach later in the afternoon. A search warrant was also obtained for the van. Roe was arrested for PC 288.3 (a), Intent to Commit Sex with a Minor, a Felony. He was later booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail with his bail set at $30,000.

Roe has a prior history of committing crimes against children. Based on his history, along with the explicit ads he is posting with nude pictures of himself, we believe Roe is preying on young victims for sexual gratification. The vehicle pictured below, a 1990 red Ford Aerostar van, is registered to Roe. We ask anyone who has been a victim, or has any additional information regarding crimes Roe may have committed to notify their local law enforcement jurisdiction or Crime Stoppers.

Many social networking sites such as Craigslist are easily accessible to young children. While some may have disclaimers which state the user must be an adult to access they generally don’t stop or prevent anyone from entering. Unfortunately many of these sites contain some very graphic and sexually explicit material. The San Luis Obispo Police Department would like to remind parents to be aware of who their children are associating with, their activities, and which social networking sites they are frequenting.