Man Arrested on Suspicion of Having Sex With 13-Year-Old Belmont Girl

A 21-year-old Redwood City man was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly having sex with a 13-year-old Belmont girl, according to the .

Armando Lopez-Galvez was taken into custody without incident at his place of work in Menlo Park at about 8:25 p.m. Tuesday and booked into San Mateo County jail, Belmont police Lt. Pat Halleran said.

The girl met Lopez-Galvez online, Halleran said. She had reportedly been involved in several online relationships with older men, which police learned about in January.

Following the Police Department's three-month-long investigation into the matter, the case was submitted to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office and an arrest warrant was issued for Lopez-Galvez on multiple charges including unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

The girl's name has not been released due to her age.

The Belmont Police Department is reminding parents to be aware of their children's online activities.

"Unfortunately online predators are all over the place," Belmont police Capt. Dan DeSmidt said. "We can't assume we're immune."

The Police Department offers the following tips for parents to help protect children:

• Communicate, and talk to your child about sexual victimization and potential online danger. Spend time with your children online. Have them teach you about their favorite online destinations.
• Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for a computer-sex offender to communicate with a child when the computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household.
• Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking software. While electronic chat can be a great place for children to make new friends and discuss various topics of interest, it is also prowled by computer-sex offenders.
• Use of chat rooms, in particular, should be heavily monitored. While parents should utilize these mechanisms, they should not totally rely on them. Always maintain access to your child's online account and randomly check his/her e-mail.