Alleged Child Molester Arraigned In Indio
A former Palm Springs resident pleaded not guilty today to charges that he sexually abused and filmed a toddler in 2004.
Jeffery Roderick, 43, is facing 17 felony counts relating to the alleged molestation of a 2-year-old girl he had been baby-sitting in Palm Springs.
Charges were brought against Roderick after a CD allegedly containing images of the child being molested was found in a New Philadelphia, Ohio, home in which the defendant once lived.
The subsequent investigation determined that the CD was made in Palm Springs, authorities said. Roderick was arrested in Ohio on Jan. 28 and returned to Riverside County last Friday.
Roderick, who is due back in court on June 17, is being housed at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. Bail was set today at $1 million.
The defendant is charged here with eight counts of lewd acts with a child, seven counts of sexual assault on a minor and two counts of penetration by force. If convicted of any of those counts, he would be required to register as a sex offender.
Over four months in 2004, the defendant allegedly performed a multitude of sexual acts on the victim, recording videos and photos of the activity, Palm Springs police Officer Frank Guarino wrote in a declaration in support of a search warrant.
Roderick admitted to filming and molesting the girl during interviews with law enforcement, according to Guarino.
Earlier this year, the CD was discovered in a drawer of a New Philadelphia home by residents who had recently moved in. When contacted by authorities, a former owner of the home realized the child seen on the CD was her granddaughter, authorities said.
The woman told police she allowed Roderick to stay with her in homes in New Philadelphia and Palm Springs. An investigation revealed the crime allegedly occurred seven years ago in Palm Springs, when Roderick was watching the child.
The suspect lived in the 2300 block of Carillo Road, Palm Springs police Officer Rhonda Long said.
Roderick was dubbed “a hero” by the then-mayor of Palm Desert in 2001, when he and several other residents were credited with capturing a child molestation suspect at Civic Center Park.
