California man brought to Rochester to appear on child solicitation, harassment charges

(ABC 6 News) – A California man appeared in Olmsted County Court Wednesday on charges of soliciting a Rochester child and harassing her parents.

David Padilla, of Pacoima, California, faces three felony charges: solicit child through electronic contact to engage in sexual conduct; engage in sexual communication relating to or describing sexual conduct with a child; and distribute material through electronic communication relating two or describing sexual conduct with a child.

Padilla also faces one gross misdemeanor charge of harassment.

According to court documents, Padilla is accused of engaging in sexual communication with a juvenile, beginning when the minor was 10 or 11 years old.

Court documents allege that Rochester police began investigating Padilla’s communication with the juvenile in May of 2023, after a man told them Padilla had been facetiming and talking with the child “20 times a day.”

The man attempted to cut off communication, according to court documents.

A year later, the man told police Padilla was still in contact with the minor, had sent her phones and controlled substances, set timers when he expected the juvenile to call him, and had threatened to “show everything” if the man continued to interfere.

Police allegedly located explicit photos of Padilla on a photo he’d sent to the juvenile.

The man who reported the sexual conduct with the minor later told police that Padilla was calling and texting them from multiple phone numbers, threatened to hurt their reputations, and had told the minor to kill herself.

“In the thirty minutes immediately prior to the interview with Officer Baker, the defendant had called from six different phone numbers,” court documents allege. “Officer called the last known phone number for Defendant, and Defendant answered the call. When asked whether he thought sending the constant messages and calls to the victims was OK, he responded yes.”

Padilla is currently held at the Olmsted County ADC on $10,000 bail with conditions, including GPS monitoring, or $100,000 bail with no conditions.

He is scheduled to appear in court again Dec. 17.