Crime & Safety
Jury Selection Begins In Man Accused Of Molesting Lake Elsinore Child
A 37-year-old Argentine national is accused of sexually assaulting a Lake Elsinore girl several times over six years.
MURRIETA, CA — Jury selection got underway Thursday for the trial of a 37-year-old Argentine national accused of sexually assaulting a Lake Elsinore girl multiple times over a nearly six-year span.
Martin Ancamil was arrested in 2023 following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation.
Ancamil is charged with four counts of forcible lewd acts on a minor, three counts of sexual penetration by force or fear, two counts of assault with intent to commit mayhem and one count of forced oral copulation of a child.
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Pretrial motions in the matter wrapped up Wednesday, and Superior Court Judge Johnnetta Anderson ordered several panels of prospective jurors to the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Thursday for screening as to their availability and qualifications.
The defendant is being held on $5 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to a sheriff's bail-setting declaration filed soon after Ancamil was taken into custody, the victim, identified in court documents only as "M.L.," informed her family and others in early July 2023 that the defendant had sexually abused her beginning when she was 9 years old. At the time of the revelation, she was 14.
The allegations were immediately reported to sheriff's investigators.
Court records allege the series of assaults occurred from November 2017 to June 2023.
In one encounter, "Martin Ancamil put his hand under the girl's pants and underwear," the affidavit alleged.
"The victim woke up to Ancamil touching her (privates) underneath her clothing, and his hand was cold, and it hurt her," the document stated.
M.L. also alleged the defendant penetrated her, though not enough to cause injuries, according to the declaration.
"Ancamil is a native of Argentina, lives in his car, has no friends or family here and has an expired (work) visa," the affidavit said.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Reese, deputies tracked him to Cambern Avenue in Lake Elsinore, where he was taken into custody without incident on July 10, 2023.
His specific connection to the victim was not disclosed, and authorities couldn't confirm how long he had overstayed his visa, remaining in the country illegally.
He has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.
—City News Service
