Former Banning school counselor accused of sexually abusing girl arraigned
Update 3/13/23
All charges were dropped against Ruben Rico Franco.
Franco had been scheduled for a preliminary hearing at the Banning Justice Center on March 13. But before his case could be assigned to a courtroom, prosecutors informed Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton that they wished to drop the criminal complaint and have all charges against Franco dismissed, according to court minutes.
Original Report 1/6/23
A former school guidance counselor in Banning accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a female student pleaded not guilty today to nearly a dozen felony charges.
Ruben Rico Franco, 64, was arrested last month following a Banning Police Department investigation that spanned nearly two years.
Franco is charged with four counts of forcible lewd acts on a child, three counts each of oral copulation of a minor and sexual penetration of a child, and one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, also known as statutory rape.
The defendant was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Feb. 27 at the Banning Justice Center.
Franco is being held on $2 million bail at the nearby Smith Correctional Facility.
According to investigators, the alleged sexual abuse began in 1995, when the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, was 10 years old, and continued until 1999.
The specific circumstances behind the alleged offenses were not provided, including whether they occurred on school grounds or elsewhere.
A police statement indicated that Franco made initial contact with the victim at the campus, which wasn't named, and thereafter had multiple encounters with her. He was in his 30s at the time and has since retired.
The victim approached police in February 2021 to report the alleged acts.
It was unclear why the investigation did not conclude until early December 2022, when the defendant was taken into custody. The police department did not say whether there are concerns Franco might allegedly have had illicit contact with other girls.
He has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.
