SANTEE – A 49-year-old man accused of luring girls to his apartment to fulfill a foot fetish was arrested Thursday, the Sheriff's Department said.

Peter Mueser was booked into county jail on 10 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, said Sgt. Tom Poulin. Bail was set at $200,000.

Poulin said the arrests followed a year-long investigation during which Detective Brian Patterson located seven victims who were between the ages of 7 and 14 at the time of the incidents. Some of the cases go back 10 years and the victims are now young adults, and at least one now lives outside California, Poulin said.

In some cases, Mueser would pay the victims to allow him to fulfill the fetish; in other cases he would give them drugs or alcohol, Poulin said.

Poulin said Mueser, who is unemployed, was arrested at noon at Woodglen Vista apartments on North Magnolia Avenue in Santee, which is where Patterson said the incidents occurred.

Mueser put up a “slight struggle” and attempted to bite a detective during the arrest, Poulin said.

Other possible victims are asked to call Detective Patterson at (619) 956-4057.

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