Indio rape suspect pleads not guilty after weekend arrest
Update 09/30/21
Juan Antonio Moreno was found not guilty of charges related to accusations of breaking into an Indio home and repeatedly raping a woman while armed with a rifle.
Moreno was acquitted of three felony counts of rape by force or fear, along with criminal threats, burglary, assault with a gun and domestic violence, along with numerous allegations of committing sex offenses while armed with a rifle.
Moreno was also initially charged with child endangerment due to claims that a 4-year-old boy was in the residence when the woman was attacked, but court records indicate the count was discharged during the trial proceedings.
Jurors found Moreno guilty only of one felony count, that of possessing a firearm knowing he was prohibited by a court-issued restraining order.
Full Story: Indio man accused of rape acquitted by jury
Original Report 07/20/17
The Indio Police Department arrested a 47-year-old Indio man accused of raping a woman on Saturday after breaking into her home while her 4-year-old boy was sleeping in another room.
Juan Antonio Moreno appeared in court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He's charged with 11 counts: three rape counts with use of rifle, once in the bedroom, once in the living room, and then another time in the bedroom.
More sexual assault charges were also listed, in addition to making criminal threats, breaking into a home while occupied and violating a restraining order.
KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 have learned there was some sort of relationship between Moreno and the victim, due to one of Moreno's charges that states the attack was on either a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, fiance, the parent of the defendant's child, a person who previously had an engagement with the defendant, or a previous dating relationship.
According to Indio police Sergeant Dan Marshall, Moreno is accused of breaking into the woman's home on Arabia Street. The rape occurred Friday night, but the suspect wasn't arrested until Saturday at his home on Sunflower Court.
Moreno was also armed with a shotgun, Sgt. Marshall said, but he never fired the weapon. However, the victim did suffer injuries from the suspected attack. The woman's child wasn't hurt during the incident.
Moreno was booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio and is being held on $1 million bail. He is due back in court on July 28.
KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will deliver more details as the rape investigation continues.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
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