A 65-year-old Riverside man pleaded not guilty to two counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old on Tuesday, July 9, after Riverside police accused him of sexually molesting three children at his wife’s daycare.
Antonio Robles Chavez was arrested on July 3 after a Riverside Police Department investigation.
Chavez pleaded not guilty during an arraignment before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk, who scheduled a preliminary hearing for July 19 at the Riverside Hall of Justice to determine whether there’s sufficient evidence to hold Chavez over for trial.
Chavez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
According to Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback, the department’s Sexual Assault-Child Abuse unit initiated an investigation on July 2 after receiving reports that a girl at Chavez Family Daycare, owned and operated by the defendant’s wife, had been groped.
“Detectives contacted other families that utilize Chavez Family Daycare, located in the (18400 block) of Blue Sky Street,” Railsback said. “Through their efforts, they determined two other children had also been sexually abused by Chavez within the past three years while attending the daycare, but never disclosed the crimes.”
Chavez was arrested on July 3.
The daycare has been licensed by the California Department of Social Services since 2010 and is based at the Chavez family home. Detectives have filed a complaint seeking suspension of operations, according to Railsback.
Police ask anyone with information on Chavez to call 951-353-7945.
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