Thermal man accused of pimping teen girl pleads not guilty to felony charges

A 21-year-old man accused of compelling an underage girl to work as a prostitute over several months in Thermal pleaded not guilty today to several felony charges.

Jose Manuel Quevedo was arrested last Thursday in the 76-000 block of Pierce Street in Thermal on suspicion of sex and drug crimes involving an unidentified teenage minor.

Quevedo was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Harold Hopp, who kept the defendant's bail at $1 million and scheduled a Jan. 7 felony settlement conference at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

The Thermal resident is charged with a half-dozen felony counts, including human trafficking of a minor, having sex with a minor and giving a controlled substance -- methamphetamine -- to a minor. He additionally faces a misdemeanor child pornography charge.

The criminal complaint filed by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office says the alleged victim -- identified only as "Jane Doe'' -- was at least 16 years old at the time of the alleged crimes, although her exact age was not disclosed.

According to Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Jose Tijerina, Quevedo was arrested when a search warrant was served at the Pierce Street home by detectives conducting a human trafficking investigation.

The alleged crimes occurred between May and Aug. 26 of this year, according to the complaint.