Desert Hot Springs man charged with sexually abusing foster children

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - A Desert Hot Springs man accused of repeatedly sexually abusing foster children was charged today with multiple felony offenses.   

Sergio Avalos Perez, 64, was arrested Tuesday following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation that began in December.   

Perez is charged with three counts of lewd acts on a minor and one count each of forced oral copulation of a child and sexual assault of a child under 10 years old, as well as sentence-enhancing allegations of targeting multiple victims in sex crimes and perpetrating sexual offenses on youths under 14 years old.  

The defendant pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Thursday before Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Tucker, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Feb. 2 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Perez is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio.   

According to a bail-setting affidavit filed by sheriff's Detective Arnoldo Iniguez, deputies were notified in mid December of a possible sexual assault perpetrated by the defendant at the foster home run by him and his wife, whose identity wasn't disclosed.

Court records allege the offenses were perpetrated on three girls, whose identities also were not disclosed, over a four year period. 

Iniguez said investigators interviewed a young girl on Dec. 15, who recalled an encounter during which Perez forced her to orally copulate him. 

"She stated he did the same act twice,'' according to the affidavit. "During this investigation, (a total of) three underage females who were fostered by Perez and his wife disclosed they were sexually abused while they lived with him in his home, while he operated the foster care residence.''

Another young alleged the defendant forced her to perform oral sex, too, according to Iniguez.   

Investigators conducted an interview with the defendant at the sheriff's Palm Desert station Tuesday. He denied many of the alleged offenses, but "did confess that one time when (a victim) was doing laundry, he noticed she was bent over."

After his arrest, Iniguez said several others came forward, alleging he had fondled them or behaved in an otherwise lewd manner, according to the affidavit.

The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.