Cathedral City Man ‘Relieved’ Molestation Charges Dropped
A Cathedral City man who had been accused of molesting three juvenile family members expressed relief today at prosecutors’ decision to drop their case against him, saying the charges were fabricated by the alleged victims.
“It was about time,” 38-year-old Charlie Banke said at the Palm Springs office of his attorney, Melanie Roe. “I’m angry to a point because so much was taken away.”
Banke had been charged with six counts of lewd conduct with a child and a count of rape, but a jury deadlocked on the charges in September. As a second trial was set to begin Feb. 15, Deputy District Attorney Earl Lee Roberts announced in court that his office wanted to drop the charges.
Roberts said that, even with a new trial, he did not believe he could get a conviction, according to court records.
Arrested in April 2009, Banke had been jailed for about 18 months before he was released in October.
Prosecutors had alleged that the sexual assaults occurred over a three- year period, starting in 2004.
One alleged victim testified during a 2009 preliminary hearing that Banke began molesting her by fondling her breasts on several occasions at family homes in the Coachella Valley, eventually escalating to rape when she was staying in Desert Hot Springs.
According to court documents, the girl told a Cathedral City police officer she was 14 or 15 years old when she was raped at the Desert Hot Springs house. Court records indicated that two other underage family members told investigators that, starting in 2004, Banke began to fondle them.
One of the girls claimed that when she was in sixth grade, the defendant told her, “Let me see if you’re ready for a bra yet,” grabbed her breasts, then said, “No, you’re not ready yet,” according to an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant.
Another girl alleged that Banke regularly came into her room, climbed into bed with her and touched her genitals.
Banke said today the alleged victims were mad about rules him imposed on them in the house, and they made up the accusations in an act of vengeance.
