A pastor from a Glendale church, D. Rivera, has recently pleaded “not guilty” to charges stemming from an incident that occurred on February 7 outside a Covina Hotel.
The incident allegedly began when the suspect drove his truck to the Vanllee Hotel and Suites where he parked his truck outside a room where the two underage victims were staying. He is alleged to have exposed himself to the victims before he entered the room and proceeded to sexually assault one of them. According to prosecutors, the girls opened the door for the pastor thinking he was their chaperone.
Police released surveillance photos to the public which resulted in numerous tips, many of which came from individuals associated with God’s Gypsy Christian Church. Those who called in said that the individual in the photographs resembled pastor Rivera, and that they believed it was him.
The suspect surrendered to police on February 11 and was then arrested and charged with one felony count of committing a lewd act with a child and one felony count of first-degree burglary with a person present. His bail was set at $100,000, which was paid after his arrest.
According to the LA County Felony Bail Schedule, the bail amount for first-degree burglary is set at $20,000. The bail for committing lewd acts with a child (under the age of 14) is $100,000.
California Penal Code 288 PC covers lewd acts with a child under 14, and if convicted, faces up to 10 years in California state prison as well as mandatory lifetime registration as a sex offender. California Penal Code 459 PC covers burglary charges, and if convicted, the pastor faces from 2 to 6 years in California state prison.
Before turning himself in, the suspect filmed a tearful video in which he stated he was innocent and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
