Sheriff’s Deputy Denies Having Sex With Underage Girl

INDIO -A sheriff’s deputy accused of having illegal sex with a teenage girl pleaded not guilty today to a felony charge.

Deputy Christian Rene Talavera, 28, who has been with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for three years, faces one felony count of sexual penetration with a minor.

Talavera surrendered around 10 a.m. and was later freed on $50,000 bail.

The deputy was indicted Feb. 25 by a grand jury in Riverside, according to court records.

The charges stem from an alleged Nov. 1, 2008, encounter with the teenager in the Coachella Valley.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Thomas Douglass unsealed the indictment today and ordered Talavera to return to court May 3 for a trial-readiness conference.

Talavera has been on paid administrative leave from the sheriff’s Palm Desert station since Aug. 23, said Deputy Herlinda Valenzuela.

He is expected to remain on leave until an internal investigation is complete, according to Valenzuela.