San Jose man charged with driving to Dublin to meet undercover cop who posed as 13-year-old girl online

DUBLIN — A San Jose man has been charged in Alameda County with a felony after he allegedly made sexual comments to an undercover cop posing as a 13-year-old girl online, then arranged to meet the fictitious girl at an East Bay movie theater.

Aldo Castillo, 27, was charged on Oct. 18 with one count of meeting a minor for lewd purposes, court records show. Castillo was arrested a week earlier outside a movie theater on the 5000 block of Dublin Boulevard in Dublin, where police say he’d arranged to meet 13-year-old “Lauren,” an undercover Dublin officer’s online persona.

According to police, Castillo responded to the officer’s post on Whisper about needing a replacement hair curler with a lewd comment about exchanging a hair curler for oral sex. He later allegedly “began to ask unsolicited questions” about the girl’s sexual experiences, Dublin police Det. Ryan Henrioulle wrote in court records.

“(Castillo) advised he wanted the 13-year-old female to orally copulate him and engage in sexual intercourse, while he digitally recorded the events,” Henrioulle added. “Additionally, the suspect provided statements indicating he had participated in similar events in the past.”

When Castillo was arrested outside the movie theater, police say they found three condoms and a generic form of Viagra pills in his possession. When questioned, he allegedly told the officers he knew why they were there and requested a lawyer.

Castillo was initially booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, but used a bail bondsman to post $50,000 bail on Oct. 20, court records show. He has not yet entered a plea.

The chats allegedly occurred on Whisper, an anonymous social media app intended for users no younger than 17. Henrioulle immediately identified himself as a 13-year-old girl to Castillo, police said.