BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man who pleaded no contest to sexual battery for an incident at a Bakersfield car wash that left an unsuspecting woman with semen on her clothing was sentenced this week.
Fernando Moreno was sentenced to 16 months in custody and lifetime sex offender registration, prosecutors said. He already was a registered sex offender at the time of the incident.
Moreno also pleaded no contest to possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.
On May 31, 2024, a woman vacuuming her vehicle at Mister Car Wash on Mount Vernon Avenue felt something wet hit her from behind.
She wiped off the substance and identified it as semen, according to a court filing.
As she turned around, a gray Toyota Camry in the spot next to her drove away.
Police were called. A car wash employee told them a similar incident occurred May 20 when the driver of a white Mercedes Benz with South Dakota plates squirted fluid from a small bottle at a female, according to the filing.
Police performed a records check on the Mercedes and went to the registered owner’s address.
A gray Toyota Camry was parked there, and people at the home told police Moreno had driven the car that morning.
The car wash employee was shown a photo lineup and asked to pick out the man who squirted the substance on May 20.
He chose Moreno’s photo, according to the filing.
Moreno was arrested after police searched his room and the car. In the Toyota they located cellphones, a tablet computer and two small bottles — one labeled “lotion” — containing a “viscous white fluid,” the filing says.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News.