PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Pembroke Pines Police arrested a 59-year-old man this week after he was accused of committing multiple sex crimes throughout South Florida, authorities confirmed Thursday.
Detectives said James William Santiago-Orengo was arrested after a series of disturbing incidents.
According to police, officers responded to a call at Barnes & Noble on April 28, where an adult male exposed his genitalia and masturbated in the presence of a minor.
Police said on April 29, Santiago-Orengo committed a similar act in front of a senior citizen who was praying inside Saint Boniface Catholic Church in Davie. In both cases, he managed to flee the scene before police arrived.
Authorities said 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 Santiago-Orengo.
Detectives said 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.
Police said on May 19. they responded to a call of a man engaging in indecent behavior after he was seen masturbating and peering into a home window in the Saint Boniface Gardens community in Pembroke Pines.
Detectives said Santiago-Orengo returned to Saint Boniface Church on May 24 and was immediately recognized by employees who had been briefed through bulletins and previous visits by detectives.
After reviewing video surveillance, police identified Santiago-Orengo from prior incidents and located the suspect in the rear parking lot of a nearby shopping plaza near the church.
Santiago-Orengo was transported to Broward County Main Jail, where he faces several criminal charges that include:
- 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
Authorities said 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 is urging anyone who may have been victimized by this suspect to come forward and report any related activity to call them at 954-431-2200.