A man sought in connection with the sexual assault of two minors in 2022 was taken into custody this week following a traffic stop that led to the discovery of methamphetamine, according to magistrate’s complaints filed in superior court. 

Benny Salas Castro, 56, faces two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, charged as first-degree felonies, along with a third-degree felony count for possession of a schedule II controlled substance.

Court records state one victim reported being assaulted multiple times beginning in January 2022, when she was about 10 years old. She told investigators the suspect warned her not to disclose the abuse, threatening to harm her mother. A second child told police she was assaulted when she was 7 or 8 years old.

Castro was stopped by police in Sinajana after an officer noticed a vehicle with an unreadable license plate. During the stop, officers recovered meth pipes from inside the car. Castro later told police he had used methamphetamine.