A part-time lifeguard for the city of Commerce was charged Thursday with lewd acts with a 13-year-old girl.
Jason Michael Anda, 33, of Norwalk, is set to be arraigned next Wednesday in a Bellflower courtroom on four felony counts of lewd act on a child under 14.
The alleged crimes occurred Aug. 28 and 29, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Anda, who worked as a lifeguard/swim instructor, was arrested Tuesday night after detectives tracked him down in Van Nuys, according to Whittier Police Department Officer John Scoggins.
“During the investigation, detectives learned Anda had developed an inappropriate relationship with the victim after they met at the Brenda Villa Aquatic Center located in the City of Commerce, where he worked as a lifeguard,” Scoggins alleged.
The crimes are alleged to have occurred in Whittier, according to Commerce city spokesman Phil Southard.
Anda was being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles, according to sheriff’s inmate records.
He has been placed on administrative leave, according to Southard.
“He worked for the city since 2012 and had cleared LiveScan and other background checks conducted by the city for all new hires,” Southard said. “The city had not received any prior complaints about his conduct.”
Whittier police were investigating the case in cooperation with Commerce officials and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Anyone with information about the case or other possible victims was urged to call Whittier Police Department Detective Adrian Bobadilla at 562-567-9283 or the department’s tip line at 562-567-9299.
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