Man arrested for allegedly molesting teen

A San Rafael man was arrested this morning for allegedly sexually abusing a Novato girl over a three-year period, police said.

Police said officers arrested 37-year-old Arturo Hernandez around 9:15 a.m. when he was spotted in Novato on his way to meet with the victim, who is a teenager under 18.

The arrest stemmed from an investigation that began on June 25 when Novato police received information from Windsor police about a case of ongoing sexual abuse of a child in Novato, according to police.

Police said investigators learned that the sexual abuse may have occurred both in Novato and San Rafael over a period of three years and that Hernandez allegedly began abusing the victim when she was 13.

When the alleged abuse began, he lived with the victim’s family, police said.

Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of a slew of charges including meeting with a minor for sex, lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor, penetration with a foreign object and oral copulation with a minor under 16, police said.