Man admits to sexually assaulting disabled Banning woman

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) - A Banning man who sexually assaulted a developmentally disabled woman over a five-year span pleaded guilty today to forcible sexual penetration.

Rene Leonel Robles Cerna, 39, admitted the felony charge under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors agreed to drop six related counts against Cerna.   

Superior Court Judge Jorge Hernandez scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 15 at the Banning Justice Center. The potential term of imprisonment was not disclosed.

Cerna is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.   

According to the Banning Police Department, detectives were initially contacted about the offenses in the first half of 2020, culminating in an investigation that required extensive vetting because of the victim's limitations.   

Court documents said the defendant first abused the woman in the winter of 2015, and following that time, he perpetrated additional offenses, ending in the winter of 2020.

The circumstances behind the acts and how Cerna knew the victim were not disclosed.  

Authorities also didn't reveal who ultimately reported the criminal acts.   

An arrest warrant was obtained and served on the defendant on April 20, 2021, and he was taken into custody without incident at a residence on West Ramsey Street.

According to court records, Cerna has a prior misdemeanor conviction for driving the under the influence.