Michael C. Downs

Seven more potential victims of alleged pedophile Michael Downs have surfaced since the 19-year-old Valencia resident was charged with 29 felony counts of having unlawful sex with minors. The complaint was filed Monday by the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

Special Victim’s Bureau Detective Rich Simmons said the department is actively investigating the new allegations.

“We have 12 solid names and now we have the names of seven more,” said Simmons.

A dozen girls, age 12 to 16, were part of the original complaint.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office confirmed there has been no amendment to the complaint to add additional victims or counts.

Seventeen of the 29 counts are for lewd acts upon a child. Those charges involve seven different girls under the age of 14.

Ten of the counts involve four additional girls on mutliple charges of unlawful sexual intercourse, oral copulation of a person under 16, and sexual penetration by a foreign object.

Downs, a student at Bowman High School, is being charged on one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a twelfth victim who is also a minor.

There is an additional count for sending harmful matter which involves distributing and exhibiting harmful matter to a minor “with the intent of arousing, appealing to and gratifying the lust, passions and sexual desires of defendant(s) and of a minor, and with the intent and for the purpose of seducing a minor.”

“Harmful material can be anything lewd. It could be photos, it could be texts, it could be all sorts of stuff,” said Simmons.

According to Simmons’ investigation, Downs reportedly met his victims at the local mall and some victims were friends of friends.

“He hung out in a certain circle of girls and kind of got to know all of the girls that way,” Simmons said.

Downs is being held on $1.8 million bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 11.

For more on Downs and the original news story, click here: http://scvnews.com/?p=23560