19-Year-Old Hemet Man Suspected Of Rape: RSO

LAKE MATHEWS, CA — A 19-year-old Hemet man was arrested last week on suspicion of rape, but the District Attorney's Office has yet to file formal charges.

Gerardo Moreno of Hemet was taken into custody by sheriff's deputies Thursday morning. The arrest occurred on Suffolk Street in Corona.

Moreno was booked into Riverside's Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of rape by fear/force, but he was released hours later after posting a $90,000 bail bond, according to jail records.

An investigation into Moreno began shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 after deputies from the Lake Mathews Sheriff's Station were contacted about an underage girl who wanted to report a sexual assault that allegedly occurred the previous night.

Deputies contacted the girl, who told them she met "an unknown male through social media and agreed to meet him in Corona."

The girl told deputies that the man drove her home, but she became uncomfortable and asked him to leave. He refused and sexually assaulted her, according to investigators.

Investigators eventually identified Moreno as the suspect, though no further details were released.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Investigator Andrews at the Lake Mathews Sheriff's Station: 951-272-5600.