Santa Rosa man suspected of accosting minor arrested

Santa Rosa police have arrested a man who they believe accosted a terrified 14-year-old girl at a Santa Rosa Avenue bus stop early this week and apparently made sexually explicit comments to three women, as well, authorities said.

Arthur M. Terrazas, 48, apparently was identified in part because of a tip from a concerned citizen who read about the Monday morning incident in which a stranger approached the girl and made explicit propositions until she ran away, police said.

Three women also have come forward to describe similar encounters with a man of the same description, authorities said.

Terrazas was arrested at his Santa Rosa home on Thursday and was held at the Sonoma County Jail for two suspected offenses related to contacting a minor and arranging to meet a minor for the purposes of lewd and lascivious conduct. His bail was set at $50,000, authorities said.

Police want to hear of any other incidents involving explicit comments to minors by someone matching Terrazas’ description. He was described as a white man standing about 5-feet-10-inches and weighing ?165 pounds, with a shaved head, a mustache and a goatee. His photo has not been released to avoid tainting future identifications.

The city of Santa Rosa Transit Department reported that a man had been removed from two different buses because of inappropriate behavior around the time the teen was accosted Monday morning.

Police asked anyone with information to call the police tip line, ?707-543-4040.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@MaryCallahanB.