Trial date set for Coachella man accused of molesting teen

A March 12 trial date was scheduled today for a Coachella man accused of molesting a teenager following a baptism celebration.

Armando Figueroa Jr., 40, is charged with two counts of lewd acts on a minor and one count each of forcible sexual penetration of a minor and forcible oral copulation of a child, as well as misdemeanor counts of possession of a firearm in violation of a restraining order and disobeying a court order.  

During a status hearing Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Arthur Hester conferred with the prosecution and defense regarding scheduling, and both sides agreed to be prepared for trial proceedings during the second week of March. However, the trial date remains tentative.   

Figueroa is free on a $75,000 bond.   

He allegedly molested the victim, identified only as a teenager, at his parents' Coachella home.

A declaration in support of an arrest warrant filed by sheriff's Investigator Claudia Herrera, said the girl and her family were invited to the Coachella property for a baptism ceremony. Late that night, Figueroa persuaded the girl to join him in his room, ostensibly to show her a new gun that he had just purchased, Herrera alleged.   

"Once in the room, Figueroa took her phone away and placed it on his bed,'' the affidavit said. "He locked his bedroom door and turned off the lights."

He then allegedly groped and committed the other acts on the victim -- only stopping when he heard somebody coming near the room, according to Herrera.

The youth ultimately told her parents what had allegedly occurred, and following a sheriff's department investigation, the defendant was arrested in July 2019.

He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.