A Temecula optometrist accused of traveling to San Diego to have sex with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old boy is now facing criminal charges, according to the California Attorney General's office.
Brandon Zoeckler, 42, was charged earlier this month and faces one count of meeting a minor for lewd purposes as well as a single charge of attempted lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, prosecutors said on Monday. He was arrested July 8 at Focus Vision Optometry on North Highland Springs Avenue in Beaumont, California.
According to court papers filed July 1, investigators first became aware of the case when the California Department received a complaint filed in July 2022 by Cody Mattingly, who is associated with an organization called People vs. Predators. Mattingly told officials he was posing as a 14-year-old boy the previous August when he began communicating with Zoeckler. During their digital correspondence, Zoeckler allegedly sent photos of himself — including shots of his genitals — to Mattingly and described sexual acts he wanted to commit with and upon the made-up victim.
"Additionally, Zoeckler stated in his messages being aware his actions were against the law, stating '… but remember, this is highly illegal lol,' " according to an arrest warrant filed by Dustin Lloyd, an investigator with the state's Department of Consumer Affairs.
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At some unspecified date, Zoeckler allegedly drove from Riverside to a Food 4 Less in San Diego County in an effort to meet up with the person he thought was the 14-year-old, only to be identified and video-recorded by Mattingly: "Once the suspect arrived at the location, he discovered that he was texting with an adult and fled the scene," stated a news release issued Monday by the office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
According to the arrest warrant, Zoeckler "confirmed the authenticity of the messages" exchanged with Mattingly to Investigator Mayra Esparza, also with the Department of Consumer Affairs,
“If you go after our children, we will hold you accountable," Bonta is quoted as saying in a news release, adding at "the California Department of Justice, we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to protect the children of our state.”
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Prosecutors asked that bail be set in the amount of $100,000. Zoeckler bailed out on that amount the day after his arrest.
