PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - Pembroke Pines Police arrested a 59-year-old man for multiple felony sex crimes committed in Pembroke Pines and throughout South Florida.
James William Santiago-Orengo was arrested after a series of disturbing incidents. According to court documents, on April 28, 2023, officers responded to a call at Barnes and Noble, where an adult male allegedly exposed his genitalia and masturbated in the presence of a minor. The following day, on April 29, a suspect matching the same description allegedly committed a similar act in front of a senior citizen who was praying inside Saint Boniface Catholic Church in Davie. In both cases, the suspect managed to flee the scene before police arrived.
The Pembroke Pines Police Department’s Forensic Services Unit and the Crime Analysis Unit utilized video evidence and developed leads that led to the identification of the suspect. James William Santiago-Orengo was revealed to be a registered sexual offender who had fled from Orange County in November 2017. An informational bulletin was shared among law enforcement agencies in the vicinity.
On May 19, 2023, authorities were alerted to a male engaging in indecent behavior while peering into a home window in the Saint Boniface Gardens community. Once again, the suspect managed to escape before police arrived.
However, on May 24, 2023, the suspect returned to Saint Boniface Church and was immediately recognized by employees who had been briefed through bulletins and previous visits by detectives. The employees called police and the suspect fled. The responding officer, upon reviewing video evidence, identified the suspect from prior incidents. Additional officers searched the area and located the suspect in the rear parking lot of a nearby shopping plaza.
James William Santiago-Orengo was transported to Broward County jail, where he faces several criminal charges, including:
- exposure of sexual organs
- providing false identity information to law enforcement
- possession of personal identification information
- possession of a fraudulent driver’s license
- active warrants from Orange County for possession of a fraudulent driver’s license and failure to register as a sexual offender
- a warrant from Seminole County for exposure of sexual organs.
Through a partnership between the Pembroke Pines Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, it is expected that state investigators will bring forth additional felony charges related to Santiago-Orengo’s status as a sexual offender and failure to register.
The Pembroke Pines Police Department urges anyone who may have been victimized by this suspect to come forward and report any related activity.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.