Public Safety
Coachella Valley School Bus Driver Pleads Guilty to Molesting 11-Year-Old
A former Coachella Valley school bus driver pleaded guilty Thursday to inappropriately touching an 11-year-old girl multiple times while on the job in 2018, and he faces up to 16 years in state prison.
Samuel Ortega, 60, was arrested at his Cathedral City home on Jan. 24, 2019, following an investigation that began months earlier, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Ortega worked for First Student, a school bus contracting company servicing several local school districts.
Following a preliminary hearing Thursday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Ortega pleaded guilty to committing three lewd acts with a child under 14 years old between August and November of 2018.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 22.
In November 2018, sheriff’s deputies responded to a call in the 100 block of Clearwater Way in Rancho Mirage, where they learned a minor had been possibly assaulted. Investigators later “located evidence which corroborated accusations of sexual assault,” according to the sheriff’s department.
During the preliminary hearing, sheriff’s Investigator Josh Reinbolz testified that authorities collected six weeks worth of surveillance video from inside the defendant’s school bus.
Reinbolz described various inappropriate interactions caught on tape between Ortega and the victim, whom the defendant called “his future girlfriend,” while aboard the bus, including “groping, tickling, pinching and grabbing.”
Defense attorney Shaun Sullivan noted that Ortega has no felony convictions, and that investigators found no child pornography on his computer or any other indications Ortega was sexual predator.
Sullivan said these were the only allegations against Ortega in the six years he worked for First Student.
Ortega remains jailed at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on $500,000 bail.
By: NBC Palm Springs
March 6, 2020
Latest Instagram Posts
⚡️ TOP STORY: A man is recovering after he was struck by lightning. Firefighters battled a brush fire along Snow Creek Road, while another lightning strike in Chino Canyon sent a man to the hospital. If you hear thunder, stay indoors for at least 30 minutes after the last rumble. #PalmSprings #Lightning #FireSafety
🚨 Chasing that year-round “summer glow”? A social media tanning trend involving the unapproved peptide melanotan-2 is raising serious safety concerns. Dermatologists say safer sunless tanning options are available. ☀️ #YourHealthToday #SkinHealth #Melanotan2 #TanningSafety
Palm Springs firefighters responded Thursday to a report of a person struck by lightning in the Chino Canyon area. The person was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Firefighters also responded to a palm tree fire in Chino Canyon that officials say was caused by an apparent lightning strike. NBC Palm Springs News Director David Reese is in the neighborhood tonight knocking on doors and trying to learn more about what happened. Did you see the lightning strike? Did you hear or see anything unusual? Do you know who was struck or have information that could help us understand what happened? We’d like to hear from you. Send us a DM here or contact NBC Palm Springs if you witnessed the incident or have information to share. #PalmSprings #ChinoCanyon #Lightning #PalmSpringsNews #NBCPalmSprings CoachellaValley BreakingNews
Fred Roggin’s response? Show us the receipts! #therogginreport #coachellavalley #localnews #explore #nbcpalmsprings
A $557k budget shortfall … so why do they need $11.3 million in new taxes? Are you voting Yes or No on Measure P? #therogginreport #measurep #localnews #coachellavalley #nbcpalmsprings
School board trustee wears “FAFO” shirt to court deposition. Drop your thoughts in the comments 👇🏽 #therogginreport #coachellavalley #localnews #explore #nbcpalmsprings
Estevan Figueroa of King’s Club Barbershop is giving back across the Coachella Valley — one haircut at a time. He and his team recently gave dozens of free haircuts to kids at the Boys and Girls Club in Cathedral City. Figueroa also provides clothing, essentials and encouragement to people in need. Inspired by lessons from his father, he’s now started a nonprofit to help even more people in the community. “Look good, feel good.” @barbercipactli Read the full story at NBCPalmSprings.com.
9 months. 5 deposition notices. 1 no-show. What is this official hiding under oath? Let us know what you think in the comments 👇 #therogginreport #jesusgonzalez #localnews #coachellavalley #nbcpalmsprings
Social Time with Thalia & Jerry
Tim O’Brien at the Coachella Valley Firebirds training camp!!