Palm Springs man accused of sexually assaulting a child during two-year span

A Palm Springs man accused of raping a child during a two-year span was arrested, along with a possible accessory who served as a caretaker.

Jesus Rivera, 45, was arrested following an investigation into an accusation of a sexual assault of a child.

The investigation began on January 27, 2021. That's when deputies were called to respond to a past lewd acts on a child incident at a residence in the unincorporated area of Desert Hot Springs, according to the Riverside County Sheriff'S Department.

The incident was forwarded to the Palm Desert Investigations Bureau. Officials said that investigators learned that the sexual assault of the child happened continually between 2017 and 2019.

Investigators located and arrested Rivera on Feb. 10 along Ramon Road in Palm Springs.

Rivera was interviewed by investigators before being booked in the John Benoit Detention Center. He was officially charged with multiple child sexual assault charges, including lewd acts with a child under the age of 14. He remains in custody on $1 million bail.

On Thursday, investigators made contact with a Coachella resident. Authorities said investigators determined this person had prior knowledge of Rivera's crimes and was a caretaker of the victim at the time the sexual assault occurred.

The Coachella resident was arrested on charges of child endangerment and dissuading a witness. As part of station policy, we will not publish a suspect's name or photo until they are officially charged by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone with additional information to contact Investigator Evans at (760) 836-1600 or call anonymously at (760) 341-STOP (7867) and reference incident #: O210270037.