21-Year-Old Facing Felony Charges, Held On $1M Bail In 4 Orange County Groping Incidents

ORANGE (CBSLA) -- A 21-year-old man was charged on Friday with groping four women in Orange area after pleading not guilty to the accusations.

Saul Montiel-Tejada faces the felonies of one count of kidnapping to commit a sex offense, two counts of assault with the intent to commit a sex assault and two counts of sexual battery by restraint, along with two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery.

In the most recent incident, Montiel-Tejada is accused of grabbing a woman's buttocks while she was walking in the 4700 block of East Walnut Avenue about 7:40 p.m. Wednesday, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.

The woman called police and Montiel-Tejada was arrested nearby, according to prosecutors.

In separate instances, the defendant also allegedly grabbed a woman from behind on Sunday on North Tustin Avenue near Cambridge Street before fleeing on a bicycle, groped a woman's buttocks about 6:35 p.m. August 2 in Grijalva Park, and grabbed a woman from behind on July 25 about 4:10 p.m. and dragging her into an alcove on Santiago Creek Trail near Tustin Street and La Veta Avenue.

Both victims who said they were grabbed by Montiel-Tejada were able to get free and contact police.

Montiel-Tejada is currently being held on $1 million bail.

He is scheduled to appear in court again on August 24 for a pretrial hearing in the case.