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San Leandro Police Arrest Registered Sex Offender Suspected Of Lewd Act On Child

SAN LEANDRO (CBS SF) – A San Francisco man listed as an out-of-compliance sex offender registrant was arrested Friday on suspicion of committing a lewd act with a minor child under 14, San Leandro police said.

The case against Ralf Peter Schmidt-Dunker, 45, was presented Tuesday to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office following an investigation into a July 4 report of a man who forced his way into a vehicle and kissed a 2-year-old child on the lips before being pulled away by a family member.

The San Leandro police Special Victims Unit investigated the report, made by the child's grandmother, who was putting the 2-year-old in a child seat at Thrasher Park in San Leandro.

The man fled before police arrived, but based on a detailed description from the grandmother, investigators identified Schmidt-Dunker as a suspect and learned he had been out of compliance with his registration requirements for the last three years.

He was arrested without incident at a homeless camp in San Francisco.

"Due to the criminal act he committed upon the 2-year-old victim and because he was an out-of-compliance registered sex offender, detectives believed his acts may become more aggressive towards our younger population and wanted to apprehend him quickly," police Lt. Ted Henderson said in an announcement. "We made this case a top priority and located him in a homeless encampment in San Francisco where he was arrested on probable cause without incident."

Schmidt-Dunker remains in custody with no bail allowed at Santa Rita Jail.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation or any possible similar incidents in the area are urged to call the San Leandro Police Department at (510) 577-2740.

© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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