Trial date set for man accused of molesting Banning girl

A Nov. 12 trial date was confirmed today for a 39-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a Banning girl.   

Jesus Virgen Rubio of Adelanto was arrested in April 2022 following a Banning Police Department investigation.   

Rubio is charged with two counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old, as well as one count of sexual battery and a sentence-enhancing allegation of taking advantage of a position of trust to perpetrate a felony offense.

During a status hearing at the Banning Justice Center Monday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Francisco Navarro conferred with the prosecution and defense regarding scheduling, and both sides affirmed their readiness to move forward with trial proceedings during the second week of November.

Rubio is free on a $100,000 bond.   

According to the Banning Police Department, he came under investigation in December 2021 after the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department received information indicating that the defendant had inappropriate contact with a young girl, whose identity was not disclosed.

The specific circumstances and his relationship to the minor, if any, were not revealed.

When sheriff's detectives confirmed the youth resided in Banning, the case was turned over to Banning police. Additional investigation resulted in a criminal complaint being filed by prosecutors on April 29, 2022.   

Rubio has a prior misdemeanor conviction for engaging in a speed contest in 2005.