Deliberations start in trial of Palm Desert man accused of molesting girl, two boys

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) - Jury deliberations got underway Tuesday in the trial of a 67-year-old Palm Desert man accused of sexually abusing three children.

Oscar William Alvarez is charged with six counts of lewd acts on a minor and one count each of oral copulation of a child, forcible sodomy of an underage person, annoying a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor with sentence-enhancing allegations of victimizing more than one person in sex crimes.   

The prosecution and defense delivered closing statements Monday, and the jury returned to the Banning Justice Center Tuesday to begin deliberating in the weeklong trial, without reaching a verdict.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz directed the panel to resume deliberations Wednesday morning.

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, the defendant allegedly targeted two boys and a girl. The alleged molestations and related acts occurred mainly in the 2010s, the brief stated.  

All of the allegations surfaced in 2023.   

Alvarez was arrested without incident on Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage on Aug. 16, 2023.

Alvarez is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio.  He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.