Deputies chase alleged child molester on Highway 101

January 21, 2016

A man accused of sexually penetrating a child under the age of 14 led sheriff’s deputies on a chase through Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach and into San Luis Obispo. The Highway 101 pursuit never reached speeds above 65 mph, and it ended with the suspect’s arrest.

Arroyo Grande man Johnny Manuel Guerrero, 39, made the Most Wanted Wednesday feature of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page last week. A warrant had been out for Guerrero’s arrest on charges of sexual penetration of a child under 14 years old, lewd acts with a child under 14 and using an electronic device to invade a person’s privacy.

Sheriff’s personnel located Guerrero after receiving a tip reporting he was staying in a motel in Arroyo Grande.

Around 1:05 p.m. Wednesday, deputies caught up with Guerrero as he was leaving the motel and heading southbound on Highway 101. Guerrero made a U-turn at El Campo Road in Arroyo Grande and began driving northbound on the highway.

Deputies tried to stop him at the Price Street exit in Pismo Beach, but he refused to pull over. Guerrero led deputies on a pursuit on the highway for eight and a half miles.

A sheriff’s office news release said it was a “slow-speed pursuit.”

Guerrero pulled over near the Prado Road exit in San Luis Obispo, and deputies arrested him without incident. Deputies found a loaded gun in his car.

In addition to the charges listed in the warrant, Guerrero faces charges of possession of a loaded firearm in public and evading a peace officer. He remains in San Luis Obispo County Jail with his bail set at $510,000.