Public Safety
Man Convicted of Sexual Abuse of Coachella Valley Girl
(CNS) – A 46-year-old Palm Springs man was convicted Wednesday of sexual abuse against a Coachella Valley girl. Jesus Lucio Rivera was charged with six felony counts — one each of lewd acts with a child under 14 and lewd acts with a child under 14 with force and two each of aggravated sexual assault on a child and rape of a minor 14 years or older, according to court records. He was convicted Wednesday of aggravated sexual assault on a child and rape on a minor 14 year or older. Rivera’s sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 24 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. He remains held on $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. A co-defendant, Aura Rivera Vidal, 33, of Coachella, pleaded guilty in January to one felony count of willful child cruelty and one misdemeanor count of witness intimidation for facilitating the repeated sexual acts. Vidal was sentenced to 60 months of probation by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini. Left, Jesus RiveraRight, Aura Rivera VidalPhotos/Riverside County Sheriffs According to Sgt. Christopher Ternes of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the investigation of Vidal was prompted by Rivera’s arrest in February 2021. Court papers allege that between October 2017 and April 2019, Rivera committed the offenses at a residence. Rivera’s relationship to the girl, if any, was not disclosed. Ternes said the investigation of Vidal revealed that she was aware of "the crimes Rivera committed, and she was responsible for the well-being of the victim during the period the victim was sexually assaulted." Vidal’s relationship to the child also was not divulged. Neither she nor Rivera has documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.
By: Ceci Partridge
September 22, 2022