A Woodland Hills man was charged Thursday with 10 counts involving sex crimes against four children that began after a girl spoke out about allegations of abuse in Canyon Country from 2016 to 2019.
A subsequent investigation by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Unit resulted in prosecutors identifying four victims they say Ernest Urioste, 62, abused at various times in a 25-year span between 1994 and 2019, based on a criminal complaint.
He pleaded not guilty to: four felony counts of lewd act upon a child under 14; four felony counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years old or younger; and two felony counts of lewd act upon a child, Thursday afternoon in Department S at the San Fernando Courthouse, according to a court official.
“He was arrested for lewd acts with the minor, Penal Code (section) 288,” said Sgt. Joseph Mesa of the Special Victims Unit for North Los Angeles County, describing the original report. “It was for the continuous sexual abuse of a minor between January of 2016 and January of 2019.” Mesa said that, based on the initial report, the SVU identified other “possible victims out there.”
He said he was not able to discuss any information about the potential victims based on the nature of the charges. He said he believed the suspect and his victims knew each other well but they are still investigating the nature of the relationships.
The complaint states two of the victims, identified by their first name and last initial, were under 10 years of age when they were abused.
After the first victim contacted the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, the SVU began an investigation and then ultimately filed a Ramey warrant for Urioste’s arrest. A Ramey warrant allows an arrest warrant to be issued prior to the filing of charges based on evidence presented to the court by law enforcement.
The charges also include allegations that the victims were particularly vulnerable, that he took advantage of a position of trust and that his crimes were committed with planning and deliberation. He’s facing a possible maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of all charges.
Anyone with information regarding this incident can contact the SCV Sheriff’s Station at 661-260-4000. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org.
