A 20-year-old United States Navy servicemember was taken into custody after Vancouver Police said he met teen girls on social media and sexually exploited them when they stayed with him at a hotel.
Police say officers arrived at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Vancouver on June 24 after receiving reports that a man, identified as 20-year-old Andrew Guerrero, was living with a group of teenagers in the extended-stay hotel.
When police came, they discovered two teenage girls and three underage boys residing there.
According to police records, Guerrero informed authorities that he met the juvenile girls, ages 13 and 16, via the social media app Snapchat in May. He informed police that the teens told him they were 18.
According to police papers, after seeing the youngsters in person, the suspect took them to his hotel room, where they have been staying ever since. Police say he acknowledged having sex with both females multiple times before they informed him they were underage. But records show that the sexual contact apparently persisted nonetheless.
According to police records, Guerrero also admitted to filming and photographing their sexual encounters but stopped when he discovered the youngest female was 13 years old.
Brenda Tyo, who has been staying in the region for several years, said she witnessed police activity at the motel.
“I simply saw the police cars parked. I’d never heard sirens or anything. “I just saw cop cars in the parking lot,” Tyo explained.
Tyo stated that she was horrified to hear what happened, but that this occurrence is not reflective of the community.
“I enjoy staying here. All of the folks residing here are professionals. “Bad things can happen, but this place and its staff are amazing,” she remarked.
Guerrero was arrested and put into the Clark County Jail on six counts of second-degree rape and two counts of first-degree trafficking. Police said the girls had been placed in protective custody.
“This analysis underlines the risks of teenagers engaging with strangers online.” The Vancouver Police Department urges parents to monitor their children’s social media accounts and speak candidly with them about the dangers of online sexploitation and solicitation,” police said in a statement.
Guerrero was temporarily working in Portland but is now mostly stationed in San Diego, according to police.
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