Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Banning Girl Must Stand Trial

BANNING, CA — A 38-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a Banning girl must stand trial for lewd acts on a child, a judge ruled Friday.

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

At the end of a preliminary hearing Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jorge Hernandez found there was sufficient evidence to bound Rubio over for trial on the two counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old, as well as one count of sexual battery.

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Nov. 3 at the Banning Justice Center.

Rubio remains 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.

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

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.